Far From Home: Book 1: Beyond Earthly Skies
by BlueRoseofWinter
Summary: After a terrifying trip through a wormhole, Rachel is sent to Middle-Earth. What is her purpose there? Why does she push others away? Distraught, all she wants is to go back home but there might not be a way back...
1. The Accident

**A/N: Please read this note first! This first chapter unfortunately has nothing to do with Lord of the Rings or Middle-Earth, as it focuses on an event from my character's childhood to cover some back story about her. The second through fourth chapters will begin to delve more into Tolkien's Middle-Earth. She will arrive in Arda at the end of chapter 4/beginning of chapter 5. Please do not skip the first four chapters as you would be missing out on some important information for the story's progression. As you already figured, this is the genre 'Person Falls Into Middle-Earth' so if this ain't your forte, then don't read it. Simple as that. I am doing my best to make this as non-cliché and realistic as possible. This story will take place in four different parts. The genres for this are a combination of Drama/Angst/Hurt & Comfort/Adventure/Friendship/ and EventualRomance. Please note that the last one will not occur for quite some time, it will be in the fourth book of this series. I hesitate to even mention the romance as it isn't important at this point, there will be some innuendos and hints before Book 4 to satisfy somewhat your taste for this though. Also considering my main character's "issues", this is another reason for the long wait for the romance part. But I will say no more on this. This is NOT a self-insertion, Rachel is NOT me but some things about her do relate to me, while other aspects don't. Enough rambling, on with the story!**

**Chapter 1-The Accident**

_(Edited as of 10-28-11)_

_(Several years earlier)_

"Momma! When will we get there?" ten year-old Rachel Brown asked her mother, eyes wide with impatience and excitement.

"We'll get there when we get there." her mother answered, a tad bit annoyed yet she smiled at her daughter's enthusiasm.

"But when?" the little girl exclaimed again in a shrill voice.

Her mother sighed, hands gripping the steering wheel, looking out the windshield in an effort to concentrate on the road ahead of them. "Sweetie, I know you're excited, but right now I really need to concentrate on driving. We'll get there soon, I promise."

"Hmmph." Rachel pouted, and crossed her arms over her chest.

Rachel and her mother were driving to the observatory center where the city kept some of its best telescopes. Inside the building, there was a large viewing room where they showed various astronomical slideshows and videos. A makeshift structure was sometimes set up there, where visitors could see the various representations of constellations inside the blackened vacuum-like area.

Outside the establishment was an open field where many telescopes sat in place for viewing distant stars and planets. Tall trees surrounded the area on three sides, which gave the place a somewhat magical feel. Rachel, and one or both parents would go here often, marveling at the beauty they would see through the many telescopes there. It was one of Rachel's favorite things to do and she wanted to get there as early as possible so they would get good seating.

After about a couple of minutes of more driving, Rachel started fidgeting again. Twisting around in her seat she quipped, "It's too bad Melody didn't want to come." her voice sounding sad.

Rachel's mom, still focusing on the road since it was nighttime now, the sun having just set not long ago, replied with, "You know Melody isn't into this sort of thing. Perhaps you'll find someone to befriend who shares your interest."

Rachel only made a harumph sound again through pursed lips.

Things were silent once more until the sudden squeal of tires caught Rachel's attention. A huge truck swerved seemingly out of nowhere, her mother struggling to avoid a collision course with the larger vehicle.

Only by then it was too late.

Eyes squeezed shut in fear, hands clamped over her ears in an attempt to block out the offending noise that threatened to consume her, Rachel realized in horror what was about to transpire. With a violent screech that sounded like a wailing banshee, the two vehicles crashed into each other. The last thing Rachel remembered before blacking out, was the smell of acrid black smoke-and pain. Lots of it. Rachel's world became dark for a time.

….

Over the next several days, Rachel slipped in and out of consciousness. She was vaguely aware of low voices talking in hushed tones and blurry white shapes in front of her. Rachel thought she heard someone sobbing but couldn't determine much more before the blackness consumed her once again.

….

Rachel awoke, a dull pain in her head. At first she couldn't make out much, then her vision cleared. White walls and the scent of anti-bacterial soap met her senses. Her eyes opened wider and she tried to sit up. Rachel noticed movement in the corner nearby as her mother came into view.

"Oh my little baby, you're finally awake!" her mother cried in a tone that was both relieved and thick with worry.

"Wh…..what happened?" Rachel felt extremely groggy. Only then did she notice the faint sound of a machine beeping nearby the bed where she lay. Rachel frowned in confusion. The sound seemed slightly off, as though muted somehow.

Embracing her daughter in a huge hug, her mother softly cried tears of relief and joy. "I was so afraid you wouldn't wake up."

Rachel frowned again. Something was wrong. She could only partly hear her mother. "Where am I?" she croaked.

"You're in the hospital, honey. We were in a car crash." Only then did Rachel notice her mother wearing a cast on her left leg, one arm in a sling, and a bandage on her forehead. "Someone came to our rescue and we were rushed here. You've been asleep for over a week, dear." Rachel's mom pushed a stray piece of hair out of Rachel's eyes and looked at her daughter worriedly. "I'm so glad you're awake, sweet pea."

"Mom, what's wrong with my hearing?" Rachel asked, fear evident in her voice.

Her mother looked sad for a moment, her eyes downcast. When she looked up, tears were present in her eyes. "Well, you've suffered some damage to the head." she started. Rachel strained to hear her mother's words.

"What?" she asked. For a second or two, sounds around her faded in and out. It frightened her.

Her mom's face became even more serious. Locking eyes with her daughter, she replied, "The doctors told your father and I that you underwent some trauma to the brain. The part that affects your sense of hearing." She looked down to the floor. "I escaped with only some scratches, a gash on my forehead, and a sprained arm and leg. I fear you got the worst of it."

Rachel's hand reached up to touch her head, finding it heavily bandaged in thick white wrappings. Looking down at the rest of her, she saw both her legs were covered in casts and so was her mid-section. Some angry red gashes on her arm caught her notice as well, but they appeared to be healing.

Her mother smiled, but it was not one of joy. "Your injuries will heal with time, but I fear_" she paused, then continued. "I'm sorry to tell you that the head trauma is permanent."

"What?" Rachel screeched, but couldn't hear anything out of her right ear.

Her mother looked distraught. "I'm so sorry." she whispered, taking her daughter's hands in her own. "It's all my fault."

Rachel barely heard her whispered apology.

Some silence. Then, "Where's daddy?"

Her mother wiped the tears from her eyes and told her, "He had to go to work right now, but he'll be here again soon to visit you."

After that, there wasn't much else to say. The accident had left Rachel completely deaf in her right ear. However, her hearing in the other one was fine. In the days to come, Rachel wept for her loss, although she realized it could have been far worse. She could have died. They both could have. As awful as it were, she had been lucky. Rachel may have lost half of her hearing, but at least she was alive. And so was her mother. With some regret, she realized they never did make it to the observatory. But that hardly mattered now. No doubt this incident would change circumstances some. But as the days, weeks and finally years passed, Rachel learned to cope with it as best she could.

….

A/N: Let me know what you think and don't forget to review.


	2. Teleportation Devices and Strange Dreams

**A/N: This will begin to mention Middle-Earth, though not right away. Please be patient. This covers some more character back story. I hope you all enjoy. **

**Chapter 2-Teleportation Devices And Strange Dreams**

_(Edited as of 10-28-11)_

_(16 years later)_

Rachel sat in her seat in her metaphysics class, taking notes. Several years had passed since the car accident that had left her part-deaf. It had been difficult at first, but as time wore on, she began to adapt to the circumstances better. On countless occasions, Rachel had to strain to hear certain things and what people said. It wasn't always a smooth ride, but she handled it well enough. But not everything was that simple.

Her childhood friend Melody, she was no longer friends with, due to a falling out between the two. They had drifted away some years back. There had been misunderstandings, some not worth mentioning. Melody must have gotten fed up with having to deal with a partly-disabled friend, among other things which kept widening the rift between them. Two other so-called "friends" had also abandoned her. Rachel felt stupid for not having seen that coming. _Some friends they were. _Others, due to lack of understanding or something else, kept their distance as though unsure about her.

After all that, Rachel drew into herself more and more each day, preferring her own company above all others. She buried herself deeply into her studies of the universe and philosophy. Being alone just felt more safe and she didn't have to put up with pettiness quite as much. Rachel also never pursued having a romantic relationship with anyone either. She didn't see the point.

Besides her studies were much more fascinating. They tied into her ponderings about the true meaning of life and beyond, yet they didn't seek to find definitive answers. This fit in perfectly with her agnostic views as Rachel wasn't really sure what to believe in. Philosophy provided some kind of escape, yet at the same time brought her back home to herself. To her it wasn't just a study, but a way of life.

Rachel looked up from her notebook where she had been furiously scribbling down notes and various annotations during the class period, and looked at the wall clock. 4:00 pm, it read. Soon after, the bell rang, dismissing class for the day. Gathering up her books and other supplies, Rachel headed on out into the hallway. Her other college classes on cosmology and astronomy she had already attended earlier that day. Now she headed toward the student/teacher lab where Jered had his own makeshift laboratory. Jered was an assistant teacher in Rachel's astronomy course and also an acquaintance as she didn't dare call him friend. He wasn't a bad guy by any means, but Rachel had promised herself to keep mostly away from people. Not completely, but just enough to close herself off from the world.

Unfortunately, Rachel got the feeling on more than one occasion that Jered wanted something more between them. Something that surpassed simple friendship. Too bad for him she wasn't willing to comply. After awhile, Jered seemed to have given up in his hopes, but every now and then she would catch him staring at her, then look away as though he were embarrassed at being caught.

Today wasn't much different. As Rachel headed into the lab, Jered looked up from a strange contraption that he was fiddling with in the center of the room. He smiled at her briefly before turning his attention back to the device at hand. She noticed the longing in his eyes, but it was gone as quickly as it had come. Jered was at least four years older and wasn't bad-looking either. He was one of those scruffy types with dark brown spiked hair, with the slight hint of stubble on his jaw. His chocolate brown eyes were a rich, deep color that seemed to evoke friendliness, as well as a slight mischievous behavior in their depths. Rachel had to admit he was handsome but sticking true to her word, she never showed him any interest that way.

"What are you working on?" Rachel asked, putting down her tote bag on a nearby side table.

Jered didn't look up but still replied, "It is a kind of teleportation device. So far I've only managed to move objects by about a short distance, no more than six inches away from their starting locations."

Rachel was momentarily speechless. "A…a teleportation device?"

"Yes," he replied, still without looking up.

"How is it you were able to accomplish that?"

"Well, it is only a very short distance. And only with small objects like this playing card here." he gestured to the King of Hearts sitting on what looked like a metal plate of sorts.

"Yes, but still…." Rachel broke off mid-sentence. Apparently the guy was more of a genius than she had thought. "That is still pretty amazing…."

Jered didn't answer, as intent as he was at tinkering with some set of screws or dials or whatever they were, on one side of the contraption.

"What made you decide to do this?"

Jered grinned. "You know that the concepts of time travel, deep space travel and the whole Space-Time Continuum thing fascinates me. Imagine if one could actually move through time and space. Science, as we know it would completely change. Everything we thought we knew, questioned as if we were never right in our answers to begin with."

Rachel paused a moment before speaking. "And you think this thing could accomplish such a feat?"

"Nah, not really, but it was fun putting it together and playing with it, to say the least."

"Oh", was all she could say to that.

The sounds of gears being adjusted was all that filled the now, empty silence between them. Looking around the room, Rachel spotted a thick book resting on a side table in the corner. She peered at it closer. The title read "The Complete Lord of the Rings Trilogy: One Volume Edition". Rachel vaguely remembered about the whole trilogy idea, but hadn't read the books or even seen the movies. In fact, her knowledge of the whole story and the world it takes place in was pretty much non-existent. _The author was…. _she tried to remember. _Some guy named Tolker, Tolkren….. No, that wasn't right. _Taking another look at the cover, she read the author's name as J.R.R. Tolkien. _Ah, that's it, _she thought.

Her attention was drawn back to Jered who was still doing god-knows-what with the supposed teleportation device. "Well, I'm gonna…" she started, then stopped abruptly as a small, black shape came scurrying across the floor by her feet.

It was a spider. Rachel, being deathly afraid of spiders reacted the only way she knew how to this unexpected affront on her nerves. She screamed and jumped backwards, violently enough to cause the side table where her bag rested, to come crashing down. The sound reverberated throughout the room, making Jered look up in alarm.

"What's the matter?" he yelled out. Rachel was too frightened for a moment to answer just yet. "Rachel?"

Rachel then slowly came out of her shocked state. "Spider, " she answered feebly.

Then, grabbing her bag off the floor, she bolted from the room. The faint sound of Jered calling out for her to stop and come back barely reached her ears. However, she continued racing out of the college as though her life depended on it. Once some distance had been put between herself and the building, she cursed inwardly. _"Geez, I'm such a baby." _she thought with disgust. But according to Rachel, her fear was entirely justified. Sighing, Rachel walked some ways back, searched around for her car and then drove back to her apartment complex.

Entering her apartment five minutes later, she locked the door behind her, dropped her stuff on a small chair and sat down on the one couch in the main room. Rachel got to thinking. The accident that happened when she was ten was still fresh in her memory, as though it had only been a few days ago. But that obviously wasn't the case. Briefly recalling one memory in particular, the moment right before the crash when time itself seemed to slow down. The fear she had felt then welled up in her mind for a few seconds before dissipating back into the past. Rachel had heard of the phenomenon before, of how during traumatic events, one's perception of time seemed altered, as though one were going in slow-motion. Naturally she had wondered about that, studying it in some regards in her philosophy classes over the years. Overall, the accident had brought Rachel and her parents closer together, as if it were a reminder on how short life really is-and how easily it could be ripped away. As an only child, her only close family were her parents. For a time, she had wondered what it would be like to have a brother or sister.

Her thoughts shifted to the project Jered had been working on. What if he really could find a way to accomplish inter-dimensional space travel? Granted, the idea was mostly ludicrous at best. Science wasn't that advanced. Yet. Jered may be highly intelligent, but to pull something like that off…. She shook her head of that notion. Rachel wondered for a minute what it would be like to travel through time and space. _The wonders one could see…. _

Shrugging off those thoughts entirely, she checked the time. 9:00pm already. She'd sat there thinking longer than expected. After a light dinner and changing out of her casual street clothes, Rachel stood in front of the bathroom mirror. Her almost, but not quite waist-length blonde hair framed a somewhat fair face that accentuated her sea-green eyes. Staring a moment longer at her reflection, Rachel then flopped onto her bed in her small one-bedroom apartment. Grabbing a book of poems off the bookshelf nearby, she settled down to read. After about an hour, Rachel started to feel sleepy. Deciding to call it a night, she settled down in her bed drifting off to sleep. She dreamt, her consciousness far away in slumber's black depths.

….

_(Dream sequence)_

_She walked along a hallway, garbed in a long, silk dress of stunning blue with silver embroidered sleeves. Her dress flowed along the white, marbled floor, making soft swishing sounds as she walked. The scenery around her was like nothing she'd ever witnessed before. High arched ceilings made up part of the architecture, paintings and golden tapestries decorated the walls that seemed to shine with an inner glow. It was beautiful. _

_She entered a large room that looked like a banquet hall, containing a table which looked as if it could seat more than a dozen people. _

_The scene then shifted to a lovely garden. The scents of strange, unfamiliar flowers filled her nose. It seemed so real-and peaceful. Rachel closed her eyes while standing in the dream garden, the wind blowing through her blonde locks. Somehow, the feeling arose that this was more than a dream. Whatever it was, the place was absolutely serene and she never wanted to leave this abode of beauty. _

_To her, it was Paradise. _

…_._

Author Note: Can you guess where the dream takes place? Hope this didn't disappoint and remember to hit that review button! Oh, and next chapter is a bit different and covers more about Arda.


	3. The Valar

**Author's Note: First off, I would like to thank those who have favorited and alerted this story. It means a lot to me that there are people who are enjoying this. I realize that the first two chapters did not go much into detail on the world created by Tolkien, but things are starting to speed up, I promise. With that said, this chapter here is very short as it is a filler chapter. Short, but necessary. I would have liked to make it longer though, but I felt this interlude deserved its own chapter. Future chapters will be longer. In chapter 5 is when Rachel will finally be in Middle-Earth. Circumstances won't be easy for her right off, but I will say no more. On with the story!**

**Chapter 3-The Valar**

_(The Valar's POV)_

The Valar had learned about the mortal's soon-to-be arrival in the world of Arda. Due to some unknown rip between realities, a wormhole had been formed, bridging Middle-Earth with the world known as Earth where the mortal was from. Needless to say, this had been unexpected and most likely would change some things. Perhaps not enough to turn the tide against them, but the strange woman of this other world would, no doubt, create a minor disturbance in the folds of this universe's happenings. But Iluvatar, the Great One, had his reasons. The mortal's place in the Grand Design was being carefully woven by Vaire, one small story within the greater story, as evidenced by the tapestries which depicted all of Arda's events that graced the Halls of Mandos.

Varda, Queen of Stars, looked out across the heavens in her starry domain, seeking the one born of a different universe. The mortal woman, fairly young by human standards, would take her place within Middle-Earth, the fabric of reality shifting to accommodate this new addition.

Extending her sight to reach out to where the mortal woman dwelt, the Queen of the Heavens saw that she was deep in the slumber of humans, her dreams revealing glimpses of her new life to come, courtesy of Lorien, the Vala of Dreams and Visions. This young woman was also slightly troubled. Varda could see some of the pain in her past, which led to issues of mistrust and un-acceptance of others. If she were to even have a small chance of surviving in a new world, this mortal would need to learn to overcome her pain and hurt which she harbored inside like a cloak of safety. It would play no part in her future. If somehow, she did not, that bode ill for her. The feelings of betrayal would only fester and serve to further alienate her from those who tried to help. Perhaps with the aid of Lorien, she may overcome that which holds her back.

The woman would need all of her strength to deal with everything that would transpire. The Vala prayed this young mortal would find her path with the role she was to play in the greater scheme of things.

Only time would truly tell.

**Author's note: Well, I hope this explained a few things. Sorry again for the shortness of it. Next will be when the wormhole trip occurs but first some other stuff relevant to her new life will happen. Once again, thanks to those people for their support (you know who you are). Stay tuned!**


	4. Through The Wormhole

**A/N: Well, here is the promised chapter when Rachel goes through the wormhole. First some other interesting events occur before that. Once again, thanks for all the support in terms of alerts, favorites and reviews/comments. Hope you enjoy and don't forget to review!**

**Chapter 4-Through The Wormhole**

The next morning was sunny, pale yellow sunlight streaming in through the window of Rachel's bedroom. As she awakened, the traces of the dream she had had, still clung to her subconscious like a wispy butterfly caught in a web of intangibility. Rachel sat for one moment, recalling the strange encounter. Normally she could tell when she was dreaming, but this had seemed so _real. _So very real that it both confused and scared her a little. "_What did it mean?" _She could have sworn there was a voice speaking, as gentle as the wind that she'd felt in the mysterious garden. However, Rachel couldn't make out anything the voice had said. "_Whatever." _

Getting up, she mentally shook off the last vestiges of images and sensations, filing it away in her head. It wasn't important right now. After attending to her normal, everyday morning routines, she was on her way out the bedroom door when something strange caught her eye.

Confused, Rachel turned to look behind her, at her dresser mirror. She then let out a loud gasp. In the mirror, instead of the reflection that should have been there, there was something else that completely took Rachel off-guard.

An eye.

It was black and slanted, sitting at a vertical angle and looked like some kind of cat's eye or maybe reptilian. "_What the hell?" _she thought. But what really captured her attention was the fact it was shrouded in angry, red flames that seemed to lick at the air by the mirror. As though in a trance-state, Rachel found her feet moving toward the mirror of their own accord. As she got closer, she could feel the intense heat emanating from the mirror with the grotesque vision. The sound of faint whispering also reached her one good ear so she listened to it. The whispers seemed to get louder as though her focusing on them did so. But there was nothing discernable to be made out of it, no words she could understand. It was foreign in every aspect.

The strange reptilian-like eye was menacing, as though it were staring deep down into her very soul. As if it were seeing right through her, trying to discover all her deepest secrets. It was extremely unnerving. Rachel shivered, despite the heat the mirror emitted.

Feeling a strong pull, her hand moved on its own, toward the mirror, reaching out to it. The whispering then became an all-out cacophony of noise, madness and evil pouring from it as her hand moved nearer, nearer. Then, as suddenly as it came, the vision quickly blinked out, leaving Rachel to stare at her own reflection, dumbfounded. For a few shocked seconds which seemed like an eternity, she stood there still as a statue of ice. Slowly recovering, Rachel heaved in air through her lungs. She hadn't realized she had been holding her breath. Willing her heart to stop its incessant pounding against her ribs, she took deep breaths to calm herself.

"What….what the hell WAS THAT?" she muttered under her breath.

If she didn't know any better, she could have sworn the eye, or whatever it was, had been trying to tempt her with its foulness. Rachel had felt a call, a deep desire for power emanating from it, calling her as though it wanted to use her as a pawn in some kind of messed-up board game. She swallowed hard. It had been difficult to look away as a heaviness had overcome her, trying to pull her into its black web of deceit and lies.

And then it was as though some divine force (which she didn't entirely believe in, anyway) had intervened, and stopped the encounter from going any further. The whole thing was completely and utterly disturbing, to say the least. Rachel was at a loss of what to make of this. Still a bit shaky, Rachel wracked her brain for some kind of explanation but couldn't find one no matter how hard she tried. Heart pounding, she sat on the bed, head in hands. _"I'm going crazy," _she thought. _"Yup, completely and totally wacko." _She even almost believed it for a millionth of a second before the reality kicked in. Whatever that was, whatever she had seen, was no product of an overworked brain about to go mad. The vision and associated feelings she experienced were too real for her to rationalize a logical answer. Rachel wished for a moment that she had indeed cracked. It was slightly more comforting than the actual truth. But, only slightly.

She sat for awhile before realization hit her upside the head. "My class!" she exclaimed, panicked. "I'm going to be so late. Crap!" With those words she jumped up off the bed, hurriedly glancing at the digital clock on her nightstand and cursed to herself. She was already ten minutes late. Not good.

She rushed out the door, quickly grabbing her bag on the chair and dashed out to the car after locking the door. _"I'm so dead," _she thought. Her professor wasn't keen on students arriving late. It was a major pet peeve of his, and normally students were punished for their tardiness by having to do a ton of extra work, in addition to everything else that was assigned.

Cursing silently at a red light, Rachel tried to remain calm. "Breathe." she instructed. After finally arriving on campus grounds and entering class, albeit with apprehension on her part, Rachel sat down in her chair without a word. She was right, her teacher looked pissed.

Trying to concentrate during class, Rachel found her mind kept straying to the dream and the frightening vision she saw in the mirror. It kept nagging at her, like an itch deep underneath the skin. She almost breathed a sigh of relief when the bell rang. About to get up, but then Rachel noticed her teacher walking up to her, a stern look on his hard-lined face. _"Great, I'm really in for it now." _she thought. After her instructor had berated her, he then gave her extra work to do, just as she'd guessed. A bunch of reading material on the nature of particles, wave-lengths, and their relations to speed, energy, and other quantum factors was given, as well as one extra project that she had to complete in no more than two weeks time. _"Fabulous." _she thought dryly. _"That's just great." _

Sighing, Rachel had no other choice than to accept the work, although with some reluctance. In truth, she couldn't really complain as she enjoyed the intellectual pursuits, but it just seemed a little overkill to her. _"I do have my limits after all." _she mused silently. Still worried over the mirror incident, Rachel found that the effects it had had on her were starting to fade.

Leaving class, she trudged on over to Jered's lab. When she arrived there, Rachel noticed Jered sitting by the contraption thingie, lost in thought. "Hi." Rachel greeted him, a little unsure for reasons she didn't know why.

Jered looked up at her after she spoke. "Hi," he replied in a flat voice.

"Something wrong?" Rachel asked, concerned. He had his brow creased as though thinking hard about something that he couldn't quite fathom. He also looked weary, as though he hadn't had much sleep the night before.

He didn't answer for a moment. Then he spoke. "Ah, it's nothing. Just some tough equation I'm trying to figure out for this machine here, " indicating the teleportation device he sat next to.

Rachel felt he wasn't telling the whole truth. "Want to talk about it?"

He looked at her then, a frown on his face. "Nah, it's cool. Just another everyday problem." Rachel didn't believe him, but decided not to press the matter. "Is there something you wanted?"

"Oh, uh…." she started. "I mean, I was just a little curious as to the project you were telling me about, yesterday."

Again that frown. Rachel wondered what that was about. "It's nothing to be concerned with." he said, a bit too harshly.

"_Well, that's a shocker." _Rachel knew something was wrong then, as Jered loved to discuss his work and findings with her. The fact that he refused now made absolutely no sense to her. She tried again. "Are you sure you_"

"Enough!" he shouted, making Rachel jump back in surprise. "It's….nothing." he said in a calmer tone, regaining his composure. "I just need to think, that's all."

Rachel didn't need to be told twice. She left abruptly, both miffed and worried at the same time. _"What is going on?" _

As Fate would have it, Rachel would find that out sooner than she expected.

XXXX

When Rachel got home, she tossed her bag, haphazardly on the floor. "What's his problem?" she huffed. Not wanting to leave on bad terms though, so for a second she thought that tomorrow she should apologize, then stopped.

"What the hell, it's not even my fault!" So much for trying to be considerate. It certainly didn't help her out there. "Whatever." Muttering, Rachel decided she didn't care anyway. She had more important things to stress over. Like for example, her homework.

With a big sigh that could rival a violent wind blowing, she sat down. "Might as well get started."

Pretty soon, night fell as the darkness encroached upon the day. Was it just her imagination, or did the shadows in the hallway seem darker, almost tangible as though any second they would claw out at her with wispy fingers. "Get a grip". she scolded. Sighing again, she undressed for bed, turned out the lamp-light and the overhead light, and got underneath the covers. Tossing and turning, Rachel eventually fell into an uneasy sleep.

XXXX

_(Dream Sequence)_

_Rachel hadn't a clue where she was. Wherever "here" was, it was dark, damp and cold. Hugging her knees to her chest, she shivered. She already could tell she didn't like this place. The air was heavy, as if filled with a darkness that was more than just physical. It both covered and towered over her, like some great hulking monstrous beast. Sorrow and despair were also apparent, although she knew not how. _

_Time passed agonizingly slow. Rachel had no clue as to how long she sat there, hugging herself as though to put some semblance of comfort into the situation. It was too dark, to dark to even see her hand in front of her face. The room was deathly silent, a quiet that chilled her to the bones. Without warning, tears started streaming down her face, unbidden. She hastily wiped them away. _

_Just when Rachel thought she couldn't stand the darkness and quiet any longer, a shaft of light slowly appeared somewhere as a heavy metal door creaked open. Looking up in apprehension and fear, Rachel saw a tall, dark shape standing there. She didn't know what to make of it. Of any of this. Then the figure spoke, and icy fingers of terror crawled down her spine at the evil that was present in the rough, deep voice. _

_It spoke one word or rather, her name. "Rachel…"_

_(End of Dream)_

XXXX

Rachel sat up in a hurry, sweat pouring down her face, clothes also soaked with sweat. Breathing heavily for awhile, she eventually calmed. _"What the hell was that about?" _

She had no answers. It was similar to the first dream in terms of how real it felt, but unlike that one, the second dream had been anything but pleasant. It was the nightmare she never wanted.

She willed her heartbeat to smooth out into a regular rhythm once more. Shakily, she went to the kitchen to get a glass of water. Swallowing the liquid nervously, she halted for a moment, thinking. Rachel had no idea what was going on. Yet she wasn't entirely sure she even wanted to know. But despite that, Rachel knew if this kept up with no explanations to offer, she would surely go crazy. Visions of mental institutions and straight-jackets filled her mind but she mentally slapped herself. "Focus!" she hissed in the dim room, the only sound was the clock ticking over the sink.

Straining her brain wasn't going to help any. Reluctantly, she decided to go back to sleep after a moment of hesitation. Not knowing what else to do, she did just that. Lying awake for awhile, Rachel then fell into a dark, dreamless sleep, devoid of any more nightmares.

Whether Rachel wanted it or not, she would get the answers she was looking for-and soon. Things were just starting out, and the outlook wasn't very rosy. It would only get worse from here.

XXXX

The next morning passed by in a haze for Rachel. She wasn't able to concentrate in class, nervously tapping her pencil on the desk, much to the annoyance of many students. She glared at them, then ignored them for the most part. If things were as bad as she thought, what did she care about some petty students? After the bell rang, Rachel shot up out of her seat, heading straight for the door, intent on finding Jered so she could talk to him. It was bumming her out that they had some sort of misunderstanding and she was anxious to resolve it.

Once there, she looked around the lab. And slouched her shoulders in defeat. Jered wasn't here. "Fine!" she snapped to no one in particular. "See if I care!" Deep down, Rachel knew she was being childish. Jered most likely had other plans for the day.

Glancing around, she noticed or rather felt, something out of place. At first she wasn't aware of what it might be, but then she noticed what seemed to be a dull hum of sorts, that thrummed constantly. It was so low as to not be totally audible, especially considering she only had hearing in one ear. The other thing even more apparent was the fact that she felt an electric charge of some kind in the atmosphere. It raised the hairs on her skin, making the hair on her head stand a little on end.

"What_?" Wondering aloud, Rachel put two and two together. The humming she was hearing was connected to the charge in the air, she was sure of it. And it was coming from the teleportation device Jered had constructed. Rachel blinked, not quite believing her eyes. There appeared to be a light green glow, very faint but there, surrounding the strange contraption. Frowning, she took a cautious step forward. Was it just her, or did the area seem deathly quiet? Quiet like a tomb.

"This is all wrong." Rachel stepped next to the device, brows creased in confusion. Without any warning, the machine blared to life, the charge becoming even stronger than before. Before Rachel could put a finger on what was transpiring here, the warning bells going off in her head one second before the moment that would forever change her life, the unthinkable happened.

A whirlwind of energy opened up right underneath her feet, blacker than any night she had ever laid eyes on. It all happened too fast to do anything otherwise. She fell into the whirlwind. After an agonizing pain which felt as though she were being turned inside out, Rachel had the oddest sensation of freefalling. One second later, her heart felt like it caught in her throat at the view in front of her.

The vastness of space stretched out before her in all its breathtaking glory. Stars twinkled like different colored gems from far away. Galaxies in all sizes and formations met her utterly shocked stare. The scene was so incredibly enormous, while Rachel felt so tiny in comparison. She knew she should be feeling absolute terror, but all she felt as she looked out at all this uncharted territory, was awe. Struck with total amazement at everything she was bearing witness to. It was the most gorgeous sight she had ever seen in her entire life.

Then quicker than Rachel could blink, she was hurtling forward through some black vacuum or tunnel. The velocity at which she traveled was so outrageously fast, she couldn't get her bearings. Flailing her arms wildly, but it didn't do her any good. Faster and faster she was pulled through this black tunnel as if she were in the belly of some giant cosmic worm. Rachel felt sicker than she'd ever felt in her whole life, yet the speed at which she was going, prevented her from even puking. Bright colors flashed before her eyes, stars burst in kaleidoscopic displays of light, and scary images of things she never wanted to see ever again invaded her sight.

Throughout all this, Rachel had the unmistakable feeling that she was witness to something never before seen, something both awesome and frightening in its enormity. It was as though she were not only traveling back in time, but through a tear in reality to another dimension altogether.

On and on, this hell-ride continued, making her wonder if it would ever end. On and on at cataclysmic speeds she traveled. Just when Rachel thought she couldn't take any more of this sickening journey, it finally stopped.

Violently, she was tossed out the other end, landing with a thump on hard, rocky ground. It was too much and she passed out right where she fell, complete darkness claiming her for its own.

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**A/N: She is now in Middle-Earth! Stay tuned for the 5****th**** chapter coming soon!**

**And again, thoughts on this are much appreciated, any thoughts whatsoever as long as they're constructive. This includes both praise and constructive critiques. It lets me know what readers like about this and are expecting to see! Plus, it is also encouraging. **

**A little preview for the next chapter(s): **

**Where exactly does Rachel end up? How does she deal? Who or what does she come across and how does she react? Will she make it on her own or does she receive help from those she never thought existed? Stay tuned!**


	5. Arrival

**Author Note: Once again, thanks to all my readers for their support and interest in my story. I hope you all continue to enjoy this, so here is the next chapter. So, where exactly is Rachel? Will she survive? What will happen to her? Read on to find out! By the way, this is another short-ish chapter but I hope that doesn't deter anyone. **

**Chapter 5-Arrival**

A cool breeze was blowing, leaves skittering over the ground, and a pale sun shone in the clear, azure sky above. But none of this was evident to the prone young woman who still lay on the rocky ground, unconscious. Slowly, the young woman came to.

Rachel opened her eyes, then immediately shut them again as the sudden light burned her eyes. She had no idea of how long she had lain there. After going through that god-awful hell-trip, she was absolutely sure she never wanted to experience anything like that ever again. Just thinking about it made her stomach heave violently. Now that she was given the chance, she emptied her stomach with deep, retching sounds that tore at her stomach and chest. _God, it hurt. _

After that delayed reaction to her bizarre ordeal, she gulped in air greedily, trying to calm herself as though she had just run a five-mile marathon without stopping. After some minutes had passed, Rachel wiped her chin with a hand, a foul taste in her mouth. On instinct, her hand went straight to the spiral pendant necklace on a sterling silver chain that she wore around her neck.

Amazingly it was undamaged, considering…. Feeling the bile once more rise up, Rachel forced it down, trying to abate the sick feeling in her head. Her temples pounded fiercely, and so she laid her head back down a safe distance away from where she had retched. Clutching at her necklace again, Rachel grasped it as though it could somehow calm her feelings of sudden dread that arose within her. She didn't know why, but something told Rachel that she was in a lot of trouble.

Feeling the cool metal in her hand, she absentmindedly stroked its surface. The necklace was nothing special, but to her it had great sentimental value. The spiral represented continuity of life and the ebb and flow of its many cycles, so for Rachel it was precious indeed. It spoke of no one true path to follow and she tried to incorporate that into her muddled thoughts as she sat up, attempting to figure out just where the hell she was. Her eyes searched her surroundings with growing dread. Nothing was familiar here. There were absolutely no landmarks, buildings or anything else around. A grassy and rocky landscape dotted with some trees ahead, stretched out into the horizon in all directions from where she sat. She was literally in the middle of nowhere.

Rachel started to panic. "_Where am I?"_ she wondered in fear. No answers were given, the only sound was the soft wind blowing. Shakily, Rachel attempted to stand, but fell promptly back down. Apparently she was still woozy, her vision dancing around for just a second. She tried again to stand and this time, remained on her feet.

Without knowing what else to do, she trudged forward. When she neared some of the trees, she saw they were nothing like the trees back in her hometown. These were ancient and huge. They towered over her so high, she guessed they were about fifty to sixty feet or more. Rachel had the uncomfortable feeling that the trees were aware of her presence somehow, and were watching her. How, she didn't know. Breathing in a mouthful of air to calm her rapid heartbeat, she realized the air was strangely clean and fresh, devoid of any smog or pollution. _"Strange," _she thought. Fog rolled by in the distance and now she could see some icy blue mountains far off.

Her heart began pounding faster, a rhythm that mocked her as though it were pounding out her doom. _"Just where in the universe's name did I friggin' land?" _Her eyes searched the area wildly, trying to find something, anything even remotely familiar. There was nothing. Wherever she was, she was far from home. Rachel wasn't entirely certain that this was still planet Earth. This frightened her more than anything and she collapsed, sobbing. Her heart-wrenching cries filled the air and before long, she retched yet again.

After two more times of throwing up, she was now utterly drained of energy. But Rachel knew she had to keep moving. _"Who knew what was out here anyway?" _She was very sure she didn't want to find out. So she trudged onward, stumbling here and there, tripping a few times over some small piles of rocks in her path. She was tired, cold, hungry and dirty and she vowed to find some sort of civilization or she would surely die.

Rachel stopped for one second in horror. _"What if I am dead? What if that tunnel, or whatever it was I went through, was some form of passage to death?" _Granted, Rachel didn't really believe in an afterlife, but she was open to the possibility. If that were the case, then what? She wasn't sure what to expect. _"So….is this it? Is this the great beyond everyone keeps talking about?" _

Not having any answers to aid her frustrated Rachel to no end. Tears once again blurred her vision, and she angrily batted them away. She refused to believe she was dead. After all, she had a life to live. Numerous questions swirled through the fog in her mind at this. _"What….what if my life was no longer in my hands? What if I were stuck here forever?" _

Rachel couldn't help it this time and welcomed the barrage of tears once again. After what seemed hours but could have only been no more than fifteen minutes at most, she stopped and looked around some more. The sky was darkening, so nightfall was approaching. She quickened her pace, not wanting to be caught in the middle of no-man's-land after dark. She wasn't stupid and knew she was in a lot of danger.

For the first time in her life, she prayed. Praying to any god, goddess or deity that was out there, that could hear her, that she wouldn't die out here. Hoping that she would find some town or someone who could help her. At this point, any help was more than welcome.

Rachel didn't know what else to do so she continued walking, her legs burning from overexertion, onward into the coming gloom of night.

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**Author's Note: Next chapter will have a little more action in it. Thanks for reading!**

**Preview: What will Rachel find in this strange land? Will she figure out what the heck is going on? Who will come to her rescue? Will her questions be given answers as things slowly reveal themselves? Stay tuned for more!**


	6. Lost

**Author's Note: The plot is moving along! In this chapter, Rachel sees her first monsters. How will she react to this? Who comes to her rescue? Read on! And again, many thanks for all the reviews and support this story has been getting. Next chapter is even more interesting, so stay tuned! **

**Chapter 6-Lost**

Rachel didn't know how long she walked. The hours, days and nights blended into one another, each agonizing second that passed seemed like it fell into a sea of seconds, like sand in an hourglass.

She was so tired, she could scream. In the mornings she would stop and attempt to rest, somehow feeling a little safer during the daytime to sleep. However, the rocky terrain was no comfortable place to lay down and the fact that she used her arms as a makeshift pillow didn't help either. She failed to get much sleep though as the slightest noise woke her up, hair plastered to her head in sweat. Aching all over, Rachel ached in places she wasn't even aware of before. Going to relieve herself was even worse. Even though there was no one around for miles, it was still extremely awkward to attend to the call of nature. Piles of discarded leaves were what she used to clean herself when done.

"God, this is so disgusting." she muttered to herself. What she wouldn't give for some damned toilet paper right now. Actually, Rachel could give for a lot of things right now, not just toilet paper. She felt so utterly filthy and didn't even want to guess at how she smelled. "Manure would smell better than me now." It wasn't even funny because it probably was close to the truth. Her stomach ached so badly with the lack of food. She thought her stomach might start digesting itself if she didn't get _something _to eat. And soon. All of this was wearing terribly on Rachel's nerves and her very sanity. She wasn't sure how much longer she could hold out.

After walking several more yards, Rachel heard something. It was low at first, due to her inability to hear in her right ear, but then the sound grew louder. Low, guttural grunts could be heard from somewhere up ahead. Freezing for just a second, Rachel then quickly scrambled for cover. Climbing up the nearest tree she hid, heart pounding a mad beat.

No sooner than she did, a group of the most ugliest creatures Rachel had ever seen came into view. Scratch that, ugly wasn't even close to how nasty-looking these things were. Clapping a hand over her mouth to keep from screaming, she waited, hidden by the bushy leaves and branches of the tree she was in. It was almost like the tree was helping her to conceal herself, a curtain of growth shielding her from unfriendly eyes. Rachel soon abandoned that thought as she noticed the things carried weapons. Cold metal glinted in the fading light, revealing incredibly sharp blades, axes, and other weapons she couldn't identify.

Rachel gulped. She _really _did not want to be anywhere near those wicked-looking objects. There were even traces of blood on the deadly ends, the red crimson a dull contrast to the keen armament they carried. Bile rose up yet again, though she managed to control it. There were around ten to twelve of these beasts that she counted.

Suddenly, one stopped, its pierced, pudgy nose sniffing the air. Rachel tensed. Some garbling she assumed was talking was heard then and she held her breath. _"Please don't find me, please don't find me, please don't find me." _she chanted silently over and over again. Her heart felt it might leap right out of her chest when one of the creatures looked in her direction. Thankfully though, it didn't seem to see her and the group of disgusting filth started to leave the vicinity. Waiting a good while until they were no longer in sight, she let out a whoosh of breath. _"That was close." _She dropped gracelessly down from the tree, scuffing her hands in the process. But that was the least of her worries.

A sound from nearby made her freeze. Looking around wildly, she tried to place the noise. Her gaze stopped a few trees down, where black, beady eyes stared at her with menace. _"What the…." _Whatever it was, it then revealed itself. Or rather themselves.

Rachel thought she might actually be in hell. "This isn't happening." At first she couldn't, _wouldn't _believe her eyes. In front of her and behind her, about several feet away were the largest spiders Rachel had ever seen. Freezing in utmost terror, she could do nothing as they slowly advanced, eyes glittering with what seemed like glee. Time itself seemed to stop, as Rachel was locked into a mind-set of complete fear and horror. Mouth dry, her palms sweaty, all she could do was stare in shocked silence. Coherent thoughts failed her. All was lost. Fear was the only thing on her mind. It was truly over for her. Rachel lost all her common sense to run as fast as she could in those moments. She couldn't move, so terrified she was.

Just as the spiders were about to close in, one suddenly dropped dead, a couple of arrows lodged in two of its multiple eyes. More arrows or bolts flew through the air. Rachel spied for a split second, flashes of dark hair out of the corner of her eye. Finally finding the will to move again, Rachel took off running faster than she ever had in her life, summoning up what little energy she had left. It was amazing what fear could do to a person. The second monstrosity dropped dead as it thunked lifeless to the ground, but Rachel saw none of this. She was too busy running in fear for her life. She didn't know where to run to, but at the moment, reason wasn't top on her mind as she dashed like a madwoman toward a cluster of trees.

All she knew was that she had to get away.

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	7. Found

**Author's Note: Okay, to be honest I have had this chapter ready for some time before posting this now. My reasons/excuses are that I have had my attention elsewhere not to mention going through the loss of the death of one of my pets which I was in an emotional dump over for a bit. Also, a severe burn due to a careless coffee spill, and an eardrum infection and also just generally getting sidetracked by various things. But here is chapter 7 finally, so sorry for the long wait. Rachel finally meets the two elven twins in this chapter, let's see how she reacts….**

**On a side note: The first part of this is in Rachel's POV, the second in Elladan's. **

**Chapter 7-Found**

Rachel ran for the nearest group of trees in her complete state of fear. Ignoring the various cuts and scrapes that she was getting from the surrounding undergrowth, she ran further and further as fast as her legs would allow. Just as she neared the closest copse of trees, a hand reached out and grasped her wrist firmly, preventing her from going any farther.

"Let me go!" she shrieked hysterically, while trying to yank her wrist away from whoever was holding onto it.

Her attempts were unsuccessful, so she started flailing about and yelling at the top of her lungs. A second hand clapped itself over her mouth, muffling her screams. Rachel then heard a most melodic-sounding voice speaking. She guessed whoever it belonged to was trying to calm her down. She stopped struggling for a moment, and risked a glance up at her captor.

At first, she thought she was seeing double so she blinked, trying to clear her vision. _No, I'm not seeing double. _Standing right in front of her were two of the most beautiful beings she had ever seen. They both had very pale and flawless skin, that seemed to emit a glow. Their eyes were deep grey that mirrored stormy seas. Long dark hair, almost black, tumbled down their shoulders. They had the most exquisite features, the likes of which Rachel had never seen before. To say they were stunning didn't do them justice at all. Not by a long shot.

For a few seconds she just stared in awe at them, eyes wide with astonishment. They looked back at her with worried expressions on their faces. One of them Rachel realized, was saying something to her, but Rachel didn't understand the words. She shook her head, uncomprehending. He repeated what he had said. Rachel in her distraught state, just screamed at them. "I don't understand anything you're saying!"

The worried looks on the two males then turned to confusion. The other one then spoke, but it was just as confusing to Rachel as what the first one said. Shaking her head vehemently, Rachel indicated she still didn't understand. The expressions grew more and more puzzled and they looked at one another briefly, before they turned their attention back to her.

It was then that Rachel noticed their ears. They were POINTED! _Of all the crazy things…. _"What the…." she started to say, backing away. Or tried to anyway. One of them still had her wrist in his grip. "What the HELL are you?" she shouted, eyes becoming even more frightened. Rachel felt she had totally lost it. She had finally cracked. Gorgeous god-like creatures with _pointy _ears! _This wasn't real. None of it. I must be dead. Or hallucinating. Or something. This wasn't real. There's no way it could be. _

Her gaze then strayed to the weapons they carried, the knives at their sides and what looked to be bows strung across their backs. _Okay, it's official. I've completely cracked and am in some loony hallucinatory state or some alternate reality where nothing ever made any sense. _

They must have seen her fear at the sight of their weapons, for they laid them down on the ground, putting up their hands in a peace gesture. Rachel's world was spinning, like some crazy merry-go-round on steroids. She no longer could see straight and her face had gone chalk-white. All the terror, helplessness and exhaustion from the past several days finally caught up with her then, hitting with such extreme force, Rachel did the only thing she could. She fainted.

Rachel wasn't even aware that instead of hitting the hard earth beneath, she fell into something warm and soft. If she were conscious enough, it would have suspiciously felt like a pair of arms. Once again, Rachel knew only darkness for a time.

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_(Elladan's POV)_

After he and his brother Elrohir had slain a fairly small group of orcs, they had come across a young woman trapped by two large spiders. After dispatching the vermin, the woman had run off into the woods as she had looked absolutely terrified out of her mind. Both he and Elrohir chased after her. After Elladan had grabbed her wrist to keep her from running any further, the two brothers noticed her strange garb. They had never seen anything like it, much less a woman wearing what appeared to be men's clothing.

The mortal, for Elladan had noticed her rounded ears, had screamed something at him in a strange tongue, trying to break free of his hold. Elladan then became worried. He knew his twin was thinking the same thing as he. _What was a strange young woman doing out here all alone, without any escorts and unarmed? Even more, what were these odd words she was speaking?_

He tried to soothe her obvious fears by telling her they meant no harm, but without success. The woman just shook her head, indicating she did not understand him. He tried again, but with the same results. Once again, she yelled in that strange language as before. The fact that she could not understand the Westron he was using, completely baffled him. _What human did not know Westron? _he wondered.

Elrohir then spoke up, attempting to talk to her. "Do you not speak Westron?" All they got in response was more head shaking. The human woman did not know what they were saying.

Elladan became more bewildered by the second. He could tell so was Elrohir, by the look on his face. The mortal then screeched at them after noticing their ears. Obviously, she had never seen one of their kind before. She muttered something under her breath and then tried to back away, but Elladan didn't let her, fearful that she'd run off again into impending dangers she could not possibly face on her own.

The woman continued to screech at them and it was beginning to hurt their ears. He could clearly see the fear in her eyes which only increased as she spied their weapons. In an attempt to reassure her that they meant no harm, they tried a more universal approach. Carefully putting down their weapons, they held up their hands in what they hoped conveyed a gesture of peace.

However, the woman had gone completely pale and looked about ready to collapse. Elladan caught her as she did just that, before she could slump to the ground. The two just looked at each other for a moment. _Now what? _The unspoken question hung in the air between them as though both had simultaneously thought that very same thing.

A moment passed; Elladan and Elrohir staring at the strange female in Elladan's arms.

Finally, Elrohir spoke. "What do you think she was doing here all by herself?

"I know not, but we must make haste back to Imladris. Father will want to hear of this. We will take her with us."

Elrohir nodded in agreement. Gathering up their weapons from the ground, the brothers made their way back to their horses, who were grazing in the meantime. As Elladan got back on his horse and Elrohir on his, the former positioned the mysterious young woman in front of him, holding her around the waist so she would not fall. Both prompted their mounts to continue back the way they came.

They rode along, neither saying much due to the thoughts that plagued both of their minds. Not for the first time, Elladan wondered what she was doing out there all by herself, in strange clothing, and unarmed no less. Not speaking the common tongue was probably the strangest of them all. When he had put her on the horse in front of him, he immediately realized she smelled. Badly. It left him to ponder once more how long she had been out here, all alone in the wilderness, especially when there were orcs, Uruk-hai, spiders, and other dangers afoot. The woman had been lucky thus far, and even more so that he and his brother had come along when they did. Neither wanted to think about what would have happened had the alternative occurred.

So they rode in relative silence, Elladan's gaze occasionally drifting to the mortal woman he held. He wondered about her story, why she was where they found her. Anyone smart enough knew these areas were dangerous and stayed clear of them. Those who did not have sufficient fighting and survival skills, knew well enough to stay away, or at the very least, travel with a group who could. Perhaps their Father could provide the answers where they could not.

He had to admit, he was very curious about her-after all, it wasn't every day one comes across a foreign woman in the middle of nowhere, far away from any civilization. And she was indeed foreign, if her attire and words she spoke were any indication. Elrohir had glanced over at her once or twice, no doubt curious as well. This woman was rather filthy, so much so he could not really make out her features that well. Various cuts, scratches, and bruises marred her skin, along with one really colorful bruise of black and blue on her right arm. Briefly he wondered if she had any serious injuries he wasn't aware of. It was best to ride as fast to their home as possible and let their Father see to her.

With that in mind both twins hastened their speed, both wearing grim and worried expressions. The journey took them almost three days. They stopped a few times to rest the horses and allow them to graze, then they continued onward. During this time, the young woman stayed unconscious, except for some incoherent mumbling, accompanied by subtle moans. The fact that there was only wilderness all around for miles, and that the nearest settlement was Imladris, further increased their worry. The woman must have been out here for a few days at any rate, even longer since she was on foot. Add to that her lack of any weapon on her person and no supplies either that they could find, left him to wonder how on Arda she could have possibly survived for that long. It was very odd.

The woman's age, from what he could gather, assumed her to be somewhere around her second decade, past twenty-some-odd summers. It was difficult to say though, as trying to guess a mortal's age was not exactly a strong point of his. Holding her against him, he noticed her starting to shiver, making it that much more vital that they hurry with all due speed. Humans he knew, were susceptible to catching colds and other various illnesses from overexposure to the elements, unlike the elves who did not need to worry about such things.

Finally, much to both elves' relief, they arrived at their intended destination. Leaping down carefully from the horse's back, the human female in his arms, Elladan looked down at her for a second. He saw that her skin was deathly pale, white even, her lips blue. That wasn't a good sign. It was most fortunate they were here now, for the elf feared any longer and she may not have lasted. After she recovered, they would hopefully receive the answers they sought.

But only after….

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**Author's Note: Again, I apologize for the long wait. Hope you enjoyed this chapter. The next one should be out hopefully soon. **


	8. Imladris

**A/N: Here is the next chapter, hope you all enjoy. In this chapter, Elrond speaks to Rachel telepathically since I read on some Tolkien site that elves, some of them anyway, had certain mind-reading and telepathic skills and since Elrond is an elf of high importance, it would make sense if he had this ability as well. You will see further on how I make this work in the story. By the way, this story takes place three years before the War of the Ring. Just to clear some things up. Please review. **

**Chapter 8-Imladris**

Some days passed with Rachel still in slumber before she awoke.

Rachel slowly became aware of her surroundings once more. The harmonic tune of

bird-song filled the air, as a soft breeze blew gently through the room. Rachel then realized she was lying on a soft, comfortable surface. Sitting up abruptly, she saw it was a bed. The covers fell off her and the woman noticed she was clad in a thin, silky-white nightgown.

Taking a quick scan of the room she was in, she noted other than the bed there was a nightstand, an armoire complete with a mirror, fancy red rug on a white marbled floor and what looked like a chamber pot on the floor by the bed that one would use to relieve themselves. A couple paintings hung on the walls but all in all, the room was mostly bare.

_Where am I? _The thought no sooner entered her mind before the memories came rushing back. Her going through that tunnel-thing, ending up in the middle of nowhere, seeing ugly creatures and monstrous-sized spiders…. She froze for a second at that, but forced herself to recall what had happened. _Spiders fall dead, two gorgeous pointy-eared beings_…. Rachel remembered the rest fully now.

Frantic, her mind wondered who had changed her clothes-and from the looks of it, had bathed her as well. For a moment in time she froze yet again. _Was it…? _She felt a blush appear on her face. _No, it couldn't be. Someone else must've…. It HAD to be somebody else. _Rachel refused to think otherwise.

Feeling panic arise once again, Rachel tossed aside the covers and got up out of the bed. The floor was cool to the touch beneath her bare feet. _I've got to get out of here. _With that thought to occupy her restless mind, Rachel made a beeline for the door and peeked out. _Good. No one in the halls. _

Tiptoeing out, she made it partway down the hall, then ducked into a shadowed corner as two women passed by, chatting amongst themselves. Holding her breath, she waited until they had gone. They didn't seem to have noticed her. Letting out her breath she continued, before stopping right in her tracks.

There were two male guards positioned at the end of the hallway that led outside. They must have heard her coming, for they turned around to face her. Rachel froze, then too late remembered what she was wearing. As a deep blush covered her face, one of the guards held up a hand and said what appeared to her to be a command to stop where she was. Not knowing what else she should do, Rachel stood there awkwardly. "Umm…."

Before she could go anywhere else, two somewhat familiar sounding voices then spoke up behind her. _Shit, _she thought, before turning around to face them. There behind her, were the two people with the weird-looking ears who had most likely brought her here. Come to think of it, the others she had passed by in the hall plus the guards, also had pointed ears.

Instinctively she backed up, away from the newcomers trying to appear calm. One of them said to her something that suspiciously sounded like a teasing comment. If she didn't know better, she could have sworn he might have said something along the lines of "Well, well, who do we have here trying to escape?" That same one also looked to be roaming his eyes over her form. Rachel blushed a deep crimson at this. _Of all the nerve! _she thought, now angry. She balled up her fists. The other one called something to the two guards and those two went back to guarding the exit. The first one in front of her tried to grab her wrist but Rachel yanked her arm quickly away. "Oh no, you don't!" She shouted to them. They had the decency to look a little surprised.

Just then, a tall regal-looking person with long, dark hair resembling the two creeps blocking her path, came strolling down the hall and stopped briefly when he saw her. Inwardly groaning, Rachel was beginning to lose her cool. _This bites, _she thought bitterly. The person quickened his pace then, standing right in front of her before she could even make a run for it. The first doppellganger, she had decided to call the two look-alikes, had already attempted to grab her wrist again, this time succeeding. The three dark-haired beings then began conversing in a musical-like language.

Meanwhile, Rachel had had enough of this crap. "Get your hands off me!" she shouted, trying to yank her wrist away from the other's strong grip. She was making a scene; a complete fool of herself in the process, but she didn't seem to care or acknowledge that. Completely in hysterics and tears, she failed to realize the older regal-looking one had started reciting something in a low tone of voice.

Extreme sleepiness overcame her frazzled nerves, as a peaceful-sounding tune met her good ear. She became aware that someone must have caught her right before unconsciousness made its grand appearance yet again for Rachel.

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_(Elrohir's POV)_

After carrying her back into the spare bedroom, their father put the now thankfully, sleeping woman back into bed before resolutely marching back out, shutting the door behind him. The two twins followed him outside the door, in the hallway.

Elrohir was glad for the silence that now penetrated the halls and the room behind the door. The young woman's continual screeching whenever she saw them was beginning to grate on his calm reserve. In all honesty, he could not really blame her if she had never before seen an elf, but this was going a little too far. The woman acted like she not only had never seen one of their kind before, but also that she could not fathom it either. Or refused to. To never have seen one of the Eldar before was understandable, but this was getting a little ridiculous. It was as though she had never heard of them before. He found that more than a little strange, and once again found his thoughts wandering, trying to make some sense out of this.

Their father then spoke. "She will need her rest. Her cold that she acquired still has not completely gone away as of yet." He briefly glanced at the closed door. "It appears to me that she is still in some shock based on what you two have told me, although I know not entirely why that is. Nevertheless, when she wakes, I will attempt to see what I can learn from her and where she hails from. We need answers, but until she has recovered that will have to wait."

Elrohir and Elladan both nodded. "Has Mithrandir been informed of her arrival?" Elrohir asked.

"Yes, I have sent word to him and he arrives tomorrow on the morn. He may have some additional insight as to who she is and why she was where you found her."

Elladan chose that moment to speak up. "When she does awake, and after you have spoken with her, can we visit her? I am curious about her as well."

"As are we all." their Ada replied. "For now, I sense no evil from her so I do not believe she is a threat. But we shall see. For now, I have duties to attend to, so if either of you require anything you know where to find me."

With that he left, leaving the twins by themselves. "So what do you think, brother?" Elladan asked. "What do you think of our new charge?"

Elrohir paused a second before answering. "She is intriguing, to say the least. Her manner in which she carries herself and her odd attire baffles me. She is unlike any mortal, man or woman, I have met."

"That she is brother, that she is." Elladan clapped Elrohir on the shoulder as he said this. "She is a mystery all right."

The two elves had gotten a better look at her after she had been properly attended to, without all that filth and grime on her. For a mortal, she might be considered pretty, but to elven standards, she was very plain. She was of slim but average build for a female of her kind, but could stand to gain a couple or so more pounds considering her earlier ordeal out in hostile territory. Elrohir could tell that his brother had taken an interest in the girl, although perhaps not of a romantic nature. At least not yet. He seemed to be more interested in her as a possible friend. Although Elrohir doubted the girl would be willing to oblige him. She was more afraid of them than anything else for she still shied away from both of them. He didn't really see that changing any time soon.

The two brothers then left the vicinity, with other plans for the day on their minds. But there was no denying that questions needed answering, and soon. The need for answers lingered with them, grating somewhat on their nerves. It was pertinent to find out what they could.

XXXX

_(Dream Sequence)_

_The next time Rachel opened her eyes, she found herself in a wide open chamber, the sheer size of it taking her breath away. It seemed to extend to infinite reaches past her line of sight in all directions. Everywhere she looked seemed to have an aura about it that practically screamed divinity and beauty. A huge crystal chandelier hung from the impossibly high ceiling, glittering magnificently in every color imaginable. It was….. There were no words to describe its raw exquisiteness. "Where on earth am I? Is there anyone here?" _

_As if in answer to her unspoken questions, two figures suddenly appeared in sparkles of light not far from where she stood in awe. Rachel gaped at them for a bit. "They had to be otherworldly. Humans couldn't look like that. It was too unreal." _

_She would have continued gawking, but one of them chose that moment to speak. This one, a female garbed in a gorgeous gown of sparkling silver, which reminded Rachel of twinkling stars. However compared to the female's utter beauty, the dress paled in comparison. The magnificent figure in silver spoke to her. "Welcome mortal." _

_Rachel just stared. The goddess-looking woman continued. "I am Varda, and this," she indicated to the god-like figure standing next to her, "is Manwe." Manwe nodded his head to her in greeting. "We are the Valar, but not the only ones. We however, are closest in understanding to Eru Iluvatar Himself. Your presence here in Middle-Earth is making small, but no less important, changes. _

_Rachel finally found her voice. "I…I don't understand. What is all this? Is this a dream? It must be, where am I? What are the Valar? What happened to me?" she let out in a rush of questions to the two slightly amused god-figures. _

_The Valar, Manwe then spoke up, holding up a hand. "Peace child. You are safe here. No harm will come to you." _

_The other one, Varda, answered. "All you need to know for now is that by some mysterious force of nature, you fell through a gateway, a wormhole that the people of your world would refer to it as, into the world of Arda. We are the Valar, the gods of this world and of the Undying Lands of Valinor. We've been expecting you." _

_Rachel almost snorted at this in disbelief. "A wormhole…..riight… And I suppose that I will also expect to see Cleopatra, Queen of the Nile from Ancient Egypt, waltz through here at any moment as well?" _

_The two beings did not look amused this time. "This is no laughing matter." the one called Manwe warned. "Your being here has no doubt upset a rather delicate balance, and it is still trying to reassert itself to accommodate this…..change. I would not take this lightly, by any means."_

"_Do not continue to hold yourself back, Rachel Brown. Life is forever changing and you must go with that flow." Varda told her in a cryptic tone. _

_Rachel felt a shred of fear just then. "Wha….what do you mean?" _

_Varda continued. "All shall be revealed in due time. For much awaits you. Farewell, Rachel Brown. We shall meet again." _

_Rachel wanted to ask more questions but already, the room and beings in it, was fading in a bright flash of white. "Wait!" she called out. "I still don't know what this all means!" _

No sooner than she uttered those words, Rachel found that she was back in the strange bedroom in the building that housed all the pointy-eared people. Taking a moment to get her bearings, Rachel's vision finally focused on her surroundings. "That was…..weird, to say the least." she muttered.

Thinking about what was said, Rachel strained to put some sort of meaning into it. "What I went through, that tunnel-thing, was a….wormhole?" Rachel felt she shouldn't be too surprised at that, given her studies and such, but she was. It was the only explanation that made any sense. _A wormhole…of all the crazy things to have happened. _The other thing that these Valar had mentioned was that she was in the world of Middle-Earth, better known as Arda.

Rachel attempted to wrap her brain around such a concept. _Arda….wasn't that the world that Tolkien guy made up? From that trilogy? _It was extremely dubious. _That's….that's just crazy! It was just a story! A fictional work for crying out loud! I couldn't possibly be here! It didn't exist! That's it, _she thought. _I have definitely lost it, either that I am stuck in the longest and most unusual dream of my life. _

Rachel half-expected to waken in her room in the real world at any moment now, her digital clock telling her it was time to get up to go to her philosophy classes. On instinct, she pinched herself on the arm. Hard. Gritting her teeth as that really hurt, she was starting to come to the conclusion that this may not be a dream after all. Pinching herself seemed to confirm this somewhat. After all, one couldn't feel physical pain in a dream, could they? Or have everything be so vivid?

Rachel sniggered a little. _This isn't real… It's not. _she repeated over and over like a mantra. But no matter how much she tried to tell herself this, deep down she knew it couldn't be the truth. This _was _real. Everything up to this point had been as real as any waking moment had ever been. "Then what is real then?" she mused quietly.

Rachel felt her grip on reality, whatever that meant anymore, starting to slide. Trembling, she began to accept the fact that something both wonderful and terrible had indeed happened to her. But some part of her didn't want to believe it. That same part tried to hang on to any shred of possible evidence that may arise to contradict it, that this were all some messed-up hallucination.

Needless to say, she could not get back to sleep. She stared into nothingness for awhile, mind whirring with many thoughts.

XXXX

_(Elrond's POV)_

"You're certain?"

"Yes, I believe so. Tis' a strange occurrence, is it not? A person from another world coming here?"

"Still, I would appreciate some proof of this". Elrond, Lord of Imladris went on.

"What more proof do you require? Her strange garb, the fact that she speaks in no tongue you, or myself for that matter, have ever heard before, or that she was in the middle of the wilderness where no sane person would dare to venture, especially not alone?"

Elrond pondered this a moment, both hands clasped tightly on his desk. "You may be right, Mithrandir. However, I would still like to speak to her through her thoughts before I come to any kind of conclusion here. And if she is of any threat to my realm or this world in general."

Gandalf laughed, his eyes twinkling with mirth. "I do not believe she is of any danger to anyone. I would have sensed it if she were. And so would have you. In any case, the strange shift that I felt in the fabric of reality tells me this happened about a couple weeks ago. At about exactly the estimated time that your sons had found her. They believed she had been wandering around there for almost a week, correct? Add to that, the time they spent getting here and the time your new charge has been here seems to require no further doubts on the matter, yes?" the wizard finished, taking a puff from his pipe.

Elrond sat quietly, amidst his thoughts that were going around in his head. "Perhaps I should see to her now and how she is faring. It has been several days since her arrival, and no doubt she will have many questions."

He stood up then, Mithrandir following suit. Elrond put up a hand. "Wait here for the moment. I would think the fewer the people she sees at once, the less of a shock it may be to her."

Gandalf nodded his agreement. "I will inform her about her situation and let her know you would like to speak with her. I just pray that she will not be as frightened as before."

With that, the Lord of Imladris walked out the door partially closing it behind him, leaving it open just a crack. He wondered what kind of reception awaited him as he walked toward the spare guest room the human occupied. In any case, she was now a guest here and he vowed to make her visit as stress-free as possible.

XXXX

Rachel stood up after using the chamber pot by the bed. The whole thing was completely out of her element and once more, she wished for toilet paper. There was some kind of cloth though sitting nearby, so she used that instead. Rachel prayed fervently that no one would walk in unannounced during this. Her situation was already bad enough as it were, and it didn't need adding to the already awkwardness that she felt. Surely she would be mortified beyond belief and would ask in a heartbeat for death right then and there. Thankfully, no one did though.

She breathed a huge sigh of relief, blowing some strands of blonde hair out of her face at the same time. Her stomach growled loudly, protesting the complete lack of food she'd had. Putting her hands on her stomach, Rachel noticed that she seemed to have dropped some pounds as of late. No surprise there. Her stomach grumbled again in pain, making her wish that she would have something to eat really soon.

As if in answer, a beautiful woman then entered the room, carrying a tray full of food. _Food! _If it could, her stomach would have sang 'Hallelujah' at the sight before her. Once more, her stomach made itself known and the woman, who also had the pointy ears Rachel saw, laughed merrily. The sound was like that of a combination of flowing river water and tinkling bells. It was very alien, yet strangely beautiful to the ears. Or in Rachel's case, one ear because of her disability.

The gorgeous alien-lady or whatever she was, smiled and set the tray down on a side table. She then proceeded to pick up the chamber pot and empty it wherever they did such things. Rachel flushed, not wanting a stranger to have to see her excrements. But there was nothing to be done about it. There came that laugh again, melodious in its sheer beauty. She said something to Rachel in that strange language she had heard before. Rachel shook her head and held her hands up to indicate she didn't understand.

The woman just laughed a little, saying something under her breath, more so to herself it appeared. She then began bustling around the room, tidying up after disposing the contents of the chamber pot. Rachel in the meantime, had already grabbed the tray of food and began eating like a ravenous wolf. Only briefly did she eye the food before digging in, she saw what looked to be a slice of cheese, a small piece of bread with what appeared to be honey butter spread on top, some berries and other fruits, and a steaming bowl of what smelled like vegetable broth. A pitcher of water and a cup also sat on the tray.

Rachel downed the meal in mere minutes, including all the water as well, careful not to drink too quickly though. The strange woman then smiled and took the now empty tray from her. Then she pointed to herself and said what sounded like 'Miriel' to Rachel. Then she pointed to Rachel and waited, obviously expecting some kind of answer.

Rachel stared dumbly at her. Miriel or whoever, repeated the action two more times before she understood. _She wants to know my name, _Rachel realized.

Pointing to herself, she told Miriel, "Rachel". Miriel smiled and in turn Rachel did too. "Nice to meet you." she told the woman. But Miriel just looked confused, although she seemed to get the gist of Rachel's words. Miriel then said what was assumed to be the same thing in her language.

Rachel smiled, unsure. An awkward moment passed before the door opened again. Miriel went back to her cleaning and arranging as the new person walked in eyeing her with an intense stare that made Rachel wince.

All of a sudden, she heard a voice in her head. _"I see you are up. I trust that you are faring better?" _

Rachel gaped, mouth hanging open for a second before she recovered and answered, also in her mind. _"You speak English?" _

The regal-looking man-person she had vaguely recalled seeing before in the hall, smiled and replied back, telepathically. _"I speak not this English you call it, for I am speaking to you in your mind. Therefore, all language barriers are stripped away as thought itself is universal in understanding." _

"_Oh", _was all Rachel could muster in response.

One second or so passed, then the man said to her, _"What is your name, child?"_

Rachel cringed at the word "child", but decided to let it go for the time being. _"My name is Rachel." _she stated. _"Rachel Brown. Where am I?" _

"_Well Rachel, daughter of Brown, you are in Imladris, also called Rivendell by the race of Men. Your race, I might add."_

Rachel was stunned. _"Wha….I mean….if you aren't….I mean…."_

He chuckled at her confusion. _"I am an elf, as are all the inhabitants here. I am the Lord of Imladris, the last Homely House." _

Rachel took a moment to absorb this information. _"An elf…."_ she stated slowly. _"Can't say I've heard that one before." _

Apparently the elf lord heard her and chuckled again. _"Indeed, for you acted as though you had never seen nor heard of my people before." _

Considering she was standing in the presence of an authority figure, an elf lord no less, she decided to be on her best behavior. _"With all due respect, uh…." _She stopped, thinking. _"What does one call an elf lord for god's sake?"_

He replied faster than Rachel would have thought possible. _"You may call me Lord Elrond."_

Rachel nodded. _"Right. So, umm, Lord Elrond…. _She faltered, then continued. _"With all due respect, in my world, for if I am right I am no longer on Earth, there are only humans, or Men as you call them." _

Lord Elrond raised an eyebrow. _"Earth, you say? Curious. Curious indeed." _He pondered on that little tidbit before speaking again.

"_You are correct, for this is Middle-Earth, known also as Arda. Here we have not only the Eldar or elves, and Men or humans as you say, but also hobbits, dwarves, and the tree-people called the Ents. There are other, more fouler creatures as you may know. The yrrchs, or orcs in the common tongue and many other dangers. You'd be best off staying clear of them, as they would no doubt, find you easy prey. However, in my home you will be safe here. No harm will befall you here, I assure you." _Lord Elrond finished explaining.

Rachel's head spun. This was a lot to take in. Too much in fact. _As if the trip through the wormhole wasn't bad enough….._

"_Wormhole?" _Lord Elrond questioned.

"_Uh, yeah. It's like a cosmic tunnel through time and space. A sort of gateway to other dimensions and such."_

"_Ah, I see." _although Rachel could tell he didn't entirely see.

"_And where was this wormhole and how did you access it?"_

Rachel recounted to him all the events she experienced, not leaving out any details, right from the moment she stepped into the lab room, until when she regained consciousness again. _"And so that was the "grand" trip of all time. _She added a bit sarcastically. _Something I don't need a repeat of, _she commented to herself.

If Lord Elrond heard this, he didn't comment. Instead, he seemed to be lost in thought, a hand on his chin whilst thinking. _"Interesting. Extremely interesting." _he mused to himself. _"Mithrandir should definitely hear of this." _

"_Who is Mithrandir?" _Rachel asked.

"_Oh, he is one of the Istari, a wizard of great power. He would like to see you when you're up to it that is." _

If Rachel was shocked before, she was even more so now. _A wizard? We certainly don't have those in my world. _she thought. _What's next, enchantresses and sorcerers?_

If the Elven Lord heard that, he didn't bother to mention it. This was so much for Rachel to take in. She would need some time to think it all through. Looking around, she didn't even notice until just now, that Miriel had left the room sometime during their mental conversation.

"_Umm, sure, I guess." _she fumbled with her hands. _"I mean, yes if he can help, I'd be grateful. If this wizard, Mithrandir, can somehow help me find a way back to my world…." _Rachel trailed off, dread forming in the pit of her stomach. For some reason, Rachel wasn't entirely sure if she even _could _get back home. It was like a strong intuitive feeling that she had, which made her wonder if the home she had only ever known her whole life, was no longer available to her? _What then? Am I stuck here for good? _

Rachel felt her legs start to waver and she swayed with a sudden dizziness. Lord Elrond helped to steady her, until her bout of light-headedness left. "I need to sit down." she mumbled, going over to the bed. Rachel sat for a bit, before she became aware of an intense stare her way. Looking up, she saw that the elf was looking at her. It was unnerving, to say the least.

Finally he spoke. _"I know not if you can return to your home. I may be a Lord, but that does not mean I have all the answers. Perhaps Mithrandir, or Gandalf as he is also named, might have more to go on." _

Rachel could nod only slightly in response.

Just then, the two doppellgangers from before came in, seeing that the door was open and Rachel was up and about. They immediately started talking to Lord Elrond, a hushed conversation being held. The Elf Lord put up a hand briefly to the doppellgangers and turned towards her. Once more, he spoke to her through her mind so she could understand him.

"_These two here are my sons, whom you have met." _gesturing to the doppellganger elves. _"Elrohir" _motioning to doppellganger number two on the right, _"and Elladan", _while indicating doppellganger number one on the left.

The doppellgangers, or rather Elladan and Elrohir as she now knew them to be, both nodded their heads in greeting. They said in elvish? (for she assumed that was what they were speaking), what sounded like it were a 'nice to meet you' reply.

Once introductions had been made, Rachel shifted uncomfortably on her feet. One of the brothers, she thought it might be Elladan since they hadn't really moved from their initial positions, was gazing at her intently. Rachel flushed bright red under his gaze, looking away but not before catching the grin shared between the two. This made her blush even more so she clenched her jaw, a little ticked-off. She didn't particularly enjoy the scrutiny, especially from the twin, Elladan.

The two brothers began talking again, Rachel not doubting at all what the subject matter was; that much was obvious. Finally, she couldn't stand it any longer. "I don't appreciate being talked about, especially since I happen to be standing _**right here**__." _emphasizing those last two words while moving her hands in a gesture towards her sides to indicate this.

Elladan and Elrohir look puzzled, so they looked to their father for clarification. Elrond once more translated and the two grinned yet again in her direction.

"Something you want to say to me?" Rachel had no idea where this defiance was coming from, but these two seemed to ignite a hidden forest-fire inside her.

Elrond only looked amused and started talking again to the two elves. They replied back, then started to leave. One of them, probably Elladan, looked back at her and winked before they were both gone. Rachel blushed again, turning her face away. _This is getting irritating already. Blushing like I were only a teen. Whatever._

She snuck a look at Lord Elrond. The elf was looking right back at her, one corner of his mouth twitching as though he were trying hard not to laugh. Then he said to Rachel in her head, _"It seems my sons have taken a liking to you, especially Elladan."_

"_Oh you mean Mr. Overconfident?" _Rachel quipped.

Again that mouth twitch. _"Yes, precisely." _he told her. _"It isn't every day that a human woman is to be staying here. Much less, them finding you themselves. They are quite curious about you."_

Rachel said nothing for a long moment. Finding her voice she spoke, a hint of bitterness present in the tone, "Yes, well I prefer my own company, so they shouldn't expect to find out much about me. I pick my friends carefully, if I pick them at all. Boundaries, you see." She didn't know why she mentioned all that to him, but something needed to be said. Besides it was too late to take back her words.

Elrond frowned at this, but wisely said nothing on the matter. Instead he told her, _"I will call a maid-servant for you to help with a bath and also finding some suitable garments to wear. Mithrandir wants to see you, so I will have someone escort you to my office later, once you are ready, then the three of us will discuss things more there." _Taking one last look at her, he stated, _"Goodbye for now." _

Pretty soon, Rachel was left alone. She sighed, putting her head in her hands while sitting down on the bed. This whole thing, while still crazy, she could no longer deny its reality. This _**was**_reality. For the time being, anyway. A lump formed in her throat but she swallowed, trying to force it to go away. _Not a dream, _she decided. _Well, I just may be insane after all. Just have to see how this plays out, and maybe I'll find a solution. A way for me to get back home. _But somehow, Rachel already knew that wasn't possible. Still she could hope. _Hope never hurt anyone. It would be the lack thereof, that would tear someone apart. After all, the cosmos must have some kind of order it followed, so things should work out the way they ought to. Right? _

Rachel wasn't completely convinced, but it was all she had at the moment. So she clung to that thread, no matter how thin it was. _Earth is my home. Not here. _Rachel would hold onto that thought even if it killed her.

XXXX


	9. No Return

**A/N: I first want to apologize for the **_**extremely**_** long wait for an update. I have now gotten my mind back on this story and will try to update when I can. As you probably already figured, updates will be slow, if not very slow. However, I do intend to finish this, I really want to see this story through. Remember this takes place in four parts. I'm not sure how many chapters Part 1 will have, as I am still trying to sort that out. I am estimating about 15 chapters total, give or take. Then Part 2 will begin! But not before the first part is done. I hope this newest chapter makes up for the long wait. Thanks again for everyone who is reading this and for your alerts, faves and of course, the reviews! Onward!**

**Chapter 9-No Return**

Rachel sat there on the bed fidgeting, as she waited for whoever this maid-servant was who was supposed to come help her with a bath and change of clothes. She had been sitting there, mulling things over and over again in her fogged brain, trying to make sense of everything, and just waiting for something to occur that stated this were all some dream or coma-induced hallucination. Waiting for her to wake up in her own bed, after this _very _bizarre dream, or maybe she had passed out in the lab room at college or at her apartment and soon things would right themselves. That she wasn't in a completely different world where everything was strange to her. Needless to say, none of this happened as she was still sitting in this white-walled room, waiting for the maid-servant to make an appearance. She didn't have to wait for too long as there soon came a knock at the door.

Rachel got up, went to the door and opened it, looking out to see who was there. A different elf-woman came in than last time, hurrying in and talking in a rapid voice that melodious language which Rachel was starting to become used to. Rachel noticed that the elf was looking at her, awaiting some kind of response. Shaking her head, Rachel indicated she didn't understand. The elf-lady just huffed and started getting things arranged and prepared for the bath, laying out some clothes on the bed and going into the adjoining room where the bath was, setting some things out in there for Rachel to use. The elf did all this in a very meticulous and precise manner, as though she were used to doing this very thing. Which she probably was.

After the elf had introduced herself as Faelwen, buckets of hot water were brought in for the bath by several male servants. During all this, Rachel was left in awe at the ethereal beauty of these elves, staring in a most unattractive way as they went in and out of the room to complete their task. She continued to stare, both fascinated and wary at the same time. They paid minimal attention to her though. If they noticed her gawking, they made no indication of this. After they left, Faelwen went right to business and made to help Rachel out of her gown.

"Whoa, whoa, just hold it right there." Rachel said backing away, putting her hands over herself to stop the elf-woman.

Faelwen made a noise of exasperation and then started to rattle off in rapid elvish. Rachel didn't understand the words, but she did understand the tone. Faelwen sounded annoyed and tried again with the same results as Rachel kept stepping back in protest.

"Excuse me, but _I _can undress myself, thank you very much." Rachel made motions with her hands to try to convey this to the elf, hoping she would understand this and leave her alone.

It seemed the elf did as she made another agitated sound, but left Rachel alone as she wished, leaving the room so quietly Rachel could have sworn she were gliding on the very air itself. _Right…. As if __**that**__ were possible. _

Shaking her head some, Rachel headed for the bathroom or whatever they called this part of the house. _Water closet? Water room? Body cleaning room? _She snorted and laughed a little to herself at that last one. _Yeah, right. _Taking a look around the room, Rachel studied it some before shutting the door firmly, then shed her gown.

Sinking into the steamy water, Rachel let out a satisfied sigh. _Now this is nice, _she thought. After washing herself with the aromatic soaps and shampoos situated around the tub, she just lay there awhile basking in the heated water, thinking. Wondering if she would ever be able to go home. To her the whole situation was a combination between disbelief that she was here, to wanting badly to return home, to where things made more sense. She refused to accept the possibility that she may be stuck here for the rest of her life. Rachel had never had much belief in any religion, always believing that existence was far more complex than any one so-called religious path. The universe was too vast, people too different and individual from each other to have to conform to any particular way of thinking; that one size fit all. It made absolutely not a single shred of sense to her. Therefore she chose the path of what some would call agnostic, believing in possible happenings and beings beyond human understanding, but not knowing exactly _what _that would entail. _Nothing was ever definitive. Okay, maybe some things were, but….. _

Rachel let that thought slide away into oblivion, as she wasn't sure how to finish it or if it were even necessary. Being here was forcing her to change some of her views on what might be possible to exist. After all, elves, fairies, goblins and the like were part of children's fairy tales and generic folklore. Now she didn't know what to think, as living proof of one of these types of creatures was plain for her to see. Rachel clasped her spiral pendant that hung around her neck in her hand as she often did, a sort of comfort thing whenever she was confused or upset. _No one true path to follow, no_ _

A knock at the door abruptly cut off Rachel's musings. Startled, she sat up quickly, water splashing in the tub as she did so. "Yes?" she called out, timidly. The door opened and in strode the elf-lady Faelwen. "Eep!" Rachel scrambled to cover herself, embarrassed to be seen like this, however Faelwen appeared not to pay much attention to this fact.

The female elf brought a large cotton towel over to the tub, said something underneath her breath and held out the towel, waiting impatiently. A few seconds passed with Rachel remaining still as stone, wondering what she should do. She was very modest and did not want others to see her without clothes on, no matter what their gender. Faelwen said something that sounded like a command to hurry up and it made Rachel cringe a bit. With a quick decision and in one fast motion, Rachel stood up and tried to grab at the towel but the elf wrapped it around her before she could do so herself.

After more embarrassing moments of Faelwen helping to dry Rachel off, she then handed the red-faced woman a clean robe of a lavender color. Rachel hurriedly put it on her as fast as she could, before following the elven lady out into the bedroom. Now Rachel had a chance to look at the clothes that were laid upon the bed_. Oh, for the love of….. _Rachel stared dumbly at the dresses and undergarments that were across the bed sheets. _I have to wear a dress? _Rachel didn't exactly hate dresses but she didn't particularly like them either.

Faelwen strode over and picked up one of the dresses, holding it up in front of Rachel. The dress was a gorgeous silver, sparkling as it caught the light from outside, adorned with a sash of what looked to be tiny moonstones embedded into it. Faelwen made a tsking sound, then grabbed instead the other one and held that one up to Rachel. This one was a deep emerald-green color, with a semi-low cut neck and long embroidered sleeves decorated with intertwined leaves of green and gold. At least the dresses were stunning, Rachel never had to wear anything like it before. The elf nodded her head in approval, apparently deciding on the green one for Rachel.

After helping her into first the undergarments then the dress, with some reluctance on Rachel's part, the elven lady then proceeded to do Rachel's hair. Brushing it and styling it in intricate braids that Rachel could never attempt on her own, Faelwen then stepped back, checking over her work with a critical eye, then nodded once in satisfaction. Rachel stood up, staring at herself in the mirror with surprise. _Is that me? _She looked like a completely different person, someone straight out of a movie set in medieval times. She stared in the mirror, marveling at how different she looked. She then looked back behind her, to tell the elven lady 'thank you' but apparently the elf had already left the room, leaving Rachel by herself. Not knowing what else to do, she looked back towards the mirror and paced the room a bit before there came another knock at the door.

"Come in!" she called out.

No response. Rachel sighed, realizing they most likely didn't know whether she was telling them to wait or to come in, and went over to the door to open it herself. As she opened the door, she saw a male elf standing there all regal-looking, waiting for her. He smiled at her when he saw her. Rachel stared dumbly at him, wondering what she was supposed to do. He held out an arm for her to take and she shyly took it before they strode off down the hall at a faster pace than Rachel would have liked. She guessed he was the escort the Lord Elrond had mentioned. She was going to meet Lord Elrond and this Mithrandir and who knows who else to discuss why she was here in the first place. _And hopefully how I can get back, _she thought silently.

As they walked, Rachel was deep amidst her thoughts and didn't notice the elf sometimes looking her way as they went down the extremely long hallway. _Geez, how long is this hallway? _she wondered, before finally noticing the male elf looking in her direction. He had a look of curiosity upon his face. She glanced at him, then looked quickly away from him while blushing. The male elf smiled and they continued their trek across the never-ending hallway.

Finally they reached their destination. They stopped at a large door with intricate designs engraved into the wood. They looked very detailed and elaborately done. The elf gave a light knock upon the door and a muffled voice was heard on the other side of it. He opened the door and they went in.

Rachel gaped a little at the massive size of the room before putting her attention on those that were present there. They were all looking at her and she cringed with some trepidation. She recognized the elf lord, and noted the others in the room briefly. There was an old, wizened man in grey robes and a pointed hat holding a gnarled staff with a white crystal atop it, another elf with dark hair she didn't recognize standing nearby, and the elf who escorted her here, taking his place by the elf lord. The lord of Rivendell gestured towards a seat behind her, while they all sat down in chairs situated about the spacious interior. Rachel sat down in the chair indicated and folded her hands in her lap, eyes cast slightly downwards, waiting.

Lord Elrond spoke first, though to the others that were there since Rachel couldn't understand a word of it. The old man with the staff smiled briefly at her before turning his full attention on the elf lord. Rachel was completely out of her element here, she wasn't used to this kind of confrontation. She felt eyes on her and looked up at the dark-haired elf who was scrutinizing her with his sharp, espresso-colored eyes. Rachel immediately looked back down, suddenly finding her fingernails of great interest in that particular moment. She didn't like the close scrutiny, but what could she say? It's not like they would have understood her anyways. Instead, she listened to the conversation flowing around her, very tranquil in its melodic rhythm.

The talking finally stopped then. Rachel looked up again, seeing that they were obviously waiting for her to say something. _What to say? _

"Umm…hi." She started out slowly. "I'm Rachel but you probably already knew that."

She felt like smacking herself across the forehead for her apparent lack of anything intelligent to say. Her face must have showed her grimace for Lord Elrond decided to come to the rescue. Only catching her name amidst the exchange before Rachel heard the elf lord's voice in her head again.

"_Be not afraid, Rachel. No harm will come to you here. We are simply discussing your plight and what we can do to send you back home to your world. Try to relax." _

Rachel smiled at this weakly. Lord Elrond then spoke to the grey-clothed man whom she assumed was the wizard Mithrandir, or Gandalf. He sent a friendly glance her way, then the two of them conversed. Rachel couldn't wait until this meeting was over, this was not exactly her cup of tea. She started fidgeting with her hands again, unsure what to do. The other two elves in the room cast looks her way every now and then, but they were mostly focused on the conversation between the Rivendell lord and the wizard. She noticed that Gandalf seemed worried, his brow creasing in a deep frown. Rachel would have wondered more about that, but Lord Elrond turned back to her and spoke to her mentally.

"_Rachel, we need to know more about this presumed 'wormhole' that you mentioned earlier. Can you tell us more about it? It may help with unlocking the puzzle on how to get you back to your home world."_

Rachel's face paled a bit, that was not something she cared to remember the details of. But it appeared she didn't have much of a choice so she recalled what she could. "It…it is like a cosmic tunnel through time and space, supposedly where the laws of nature function differently inside of it. I….I mean scientists, those who study such things of a scientific nature, know only guesswork and speculations about them, nothing certain though. As far as I know, if anyone has ever gone through one, I mean if anyone besides me, they have never come back to tell the tale. It was the scariest thing I have ever experienced in my life." she finished shakily.

She paused, and glanced at each in turn. They were all paying rapt attention to her, the two elves with confused looks upon their faces because of her strange tongue they could not understand. She looked to Lord Elrond and nodded at him to translate what she said. He appeared to be deep in concentration, then transferred what was said back to the others in the study. There were some audible gasps in the room and astonished stares her way while Elrond finished the explanation. He then nodded at her to continue and she did.

"There was also an acquaintance of mine who was working on some kind of teleportation contraption. I have no idea how the two are related but something tells me they are. I don't think that the results are something that Jered intended to happen. It most likely was a… a freak accident of sorts."

She then repeated everything she told Lord Elrond before, all the while those present either stared in bewilderment and disbelief, namely the two other elves while Gandalf simply stroked his chin, thinking. After Elrond translated again, there was deep silence in the room afterwards as each one was lost among their own thoughts. It became so quiet for a few minutes that Rachel could hear the soft wind blowing outside the open window, the sound of occasional bird-calls accompanying it.

Just when she thought she couldn't stand the silence anymore, one of the other elves, the dark haired one, spoke up speaking rapidly. He gestured towards her several times, Rachel catching her name here and there amidst the fluid tones. Lord Elrond put up a hand to indicate he would speak and there followed yet more discussion about her, while Rachel was none the wiser of what was being said. _It was very frustrating!_

Every now and then, she was asked to elaborate and repeat something she'd already mentioned before more talking ensued between them. After what seemed hours but probably was only about forty-five minutes or so, Lord Elrond sat back in his desk chair with a heavy sigh before looking at Rachel directly. She waited, a little impatient and insecure. Folding his hands in his lap, he steeled his gaze and mind-spoke to her in a grave tone of voice.

"_After much discussion here, I am afraid there may not be a return route back to your home of Earth. The shift of energy that followed after your arrival here included a grand amount of force released and swallowed back up, as though the very fabric of reality was trying to mend itself of a major hole in its structures. I do not believe that such an extreme measure could be repeated, which Mithrandir believes may be needed to send you back to where you came. It seems rightly impossible that this may change at all, but we are not certain of this. In any case, it seems destiny has brought you here to Arda where you will live out the rest of your days, henceforth. There is no going back, I am very sorry to say." _

Rachel took all this in with a heavy heart. The dread that started to build within her reached its climax at this point, thudding out its symphonic beat of doom. _I can't go back. I'm stuck here forever. I can't go back, I can't go back. I'll never see home again, never finish my classes, never graduate college, never use modern technology again, never touch a computer again, never see Jered or anyone else ever again. I'm stuck here, in this strange, alien world, for good. I can't go back….. _The words seemed so surreal to her, she didn't want to believe them, _couldn't _believe them. This was a nightmare she was never getting out of. She was stuck here for the rest of her life.

Tears started to fill her eyes and she hastily got up, knocking over the chair in the process and ran out of the room. She didn't care where she was going, she just had to get away. Get away from this god-forsaken situation, this hopeless sense of anguish that now penetrated her being with its dark and ugly blackness. She ran down the hall, much to the surprised and shocked looks of some of the residents but to Rachel she noticed none of this in her despair. Unbeknownst to her, Glorfindel, the elf who had escorted her to Elrond's office in the first place, ran after her, intent on trying to calm her down.

He quickly caught up with her and to his surprise, Rachel starting screaming at him. "Why? Why must this happen? Why me? What did I do to deserve this? This is all wrooooonggg!" she wailed and broke down into deep sobs that wracked her entire body. She would have collapsed onto the floor if Glorfindel's quick reflexes had not caught her in time. Vaguely aware of a strong embrace and soothing words spoken to her as her back was gently rubbed in an effort to cease her crying, all Rachel knew at this point as she clung to him, her tears soaking his tunic, was that nothing would ever be the same again.

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_(Elrond's POV)_

Back in the office, Lord Elrond, Mithrandir and Erestor all sat in stunned silence. Her sorrow was plain to see and they all felt it. Mithrandir had a sad look upon his weathered features looking down at the floor, while Erestor simply sat quietly, not knowing how to respond. Elrond let out a deep sigh. All was quiet for a little while and no more of Rachel's screaming and carrying on could be heard.

Finally Elrond spoke up. "I suspect that this was an extremely harsh blow to her and it may take quite some time before this emotional wound of hers heals fully. All we can do is offer our support whenever she needs it and if she wishes it. The rest is up to her."

The others nodded solemnly and no other words were spoken.

Elrond dismissed them with a wave of his hand. "You may both take your leave now, there is nothing further to discuss at present."

And with that, the Lord of Rivendell was left alone to his own thoughts about what would come of all this. He prayed to Elbereth that Rachel would become accustomed to her new life and that she would eventually find some peace here. It seemed inevitable that Rachel would never return 'ere she was, that Middle-Earth was now her home. He prayed for her sake that she would find relief soon, Valar help her, as she would need it if she was to make a new life for herself in this world. One thing was for sure. The days ahead for the young woman would be very trying indeed.

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Rachel tossed and turned in her bed, nightmares haunting her sleep. Visions of her former life flew by her, as though taunting her with their now unattainable status. The faces of her parents drifted by, as well as herself as a child stating what she wanted to be when she grew up. Many things she dreamt, things that have been and things that could have been. Images came to her fevered mind of those horrifying, ugly creatures called orcs and those monstrous-sized spiders that were almost the death of her. The spider in the dream was just about to sink its poisonous fangs into her, giant maw opening wide for the kill when she screamed and woke up in a cold sweat. She shot upward, drenched in sweat, her breath coming out labored and uneven as she tried to get her bearings.

Finally she calmed down, albeit slowly and looked towards the window. It was now dark outside. She smoothed out her frazzled hair, realizing it was still in the braids from before. Someone had changed her clothes while she was sleeping as she now wore a thin sky-blue nightdress. Probably it was one of the maid-servants that did so.

Flinging off the covers, Rachel got up, feeling no need to sleep. She needed to get up and do…..something. She didn't know what though. Spying a white bathrobe hanging on the back of the bed, she put that on over her gown and quietly opened the door to her room which led out into the hallway. All was quiet. All of Rivendell must be asleep, she surmised. She walked along the length of the hall, somewhat in a daze. Not knowing these halls very well, she didn't really know where she was going.

Soon, the path she took led her outside where the silver moon was shining bright, stars twinkling merrily in the night. She closed her eyes for a moment remembering the view she had seen from space, of billions and billions of tiny specks of light, flickering and burning far away in their domains of fire where they gave so many possibilities for many forms of life to be had. Reflecting on this for a second Rachel realized now, more so than ever before the chances of life that could be found on other worlds. She thought of how most people never got that opportunity and now that she had it, she wanted nothing more than to return home to Earth where she belonged. She looked at the stars and their constellations to try to see if she recognized anything familiar. She did not though, it was as foreign to her as everything else was.

She found her way to a tree and sat back against it, closing her eyes in defeat. Her life would never be the same and Rachel didn't know if she could handle that. It was too much for any one person to handle. She didn't want to face the days ahead. Things at this point seemed very bleak to her. Her vision began to blur with more unshed tears.

_Never going home again. Never to live out my life the way I'd planned. _Her mind continued its incessant somber rant of never's, until she could no longer keep her eyes open. She fell asleep there, against the cool bark of the tree, the moonlight framing her in its restful glow as the night slowly turned to day.

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**A/N: Hope you all liked! And remember to REVIEW!**


	10. Depths of Depression

******Disclaimer: I realize I didn't put a disclaimer on my other chapters, so here goes. I think we all know who owns the original story, and it certainly isn't me. I own Rachel only, and whatever else you don't recognize as being Tolkien's. I am writing this simply for fun, no profit gained whatsoever except for feedback from readers.  
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**A/N: A new chapter! Woot!  
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**Chapter 10-Depths of Depression**

While the next day dawned bright and cheerful, Rachel's emotions were anything but. It felt like a storm of despair was brewing inside her, grey clouds of self-pity and loss began taking their hold on her.

Rachel awoke again in her room and was momentarily confused. She could have sworn the last place she had been was outside by a tree, looking at the moonlit sky and all its stars and how much she missed home. The thought quickly left like it were a lone leaf blowing away into the wind, never to be seen again. Her mood was too dark and sorrowful to care much about such a minor detail like that. Laying back down on the bed, Rachel stared dumbly at nothing, just content to wallow in her misery.

She fast sunk into a state of depression, not bothering to come out of her room. She cared not what the others thought, the deep layers of grief and anger burying her under their mountainous weight and volume. She was never going home again, so what kind of life could she now have?

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Elladan was in the breakfast hall when two elves, Revion and Morfindien, came rushing into the room, apparently intent on finding someone of importance to speak with. When they spotted Elladan at the table, they told him what was so urgent.

"Sorry to trouble you sir Elladan, but we believe that your charge, the human woman, is outside of these walls, asleep on the ground by a tree. We know not what she is doing there, but she is starting to cause a scene as she is, ah…." That is when the elf broke off the words, slightly embarrassed at what he was going to say next.

Elladan did not need any elaboration as he already had a good idea of what Revion was trying to say. He got up abruptly and went outside to where the two elves showed the human woman to be. The woman was lying there, in her nightwear no less, sound asleep, oblivious to everything else around her. Elladan sighed and promptly went over to pick her up and carry her back inside where she would not be in view of everyone in such a state of undress.

As he walked down the halls with the light-weight form of the woman in his arms, his curiosity and concern for her grew. _"What was she doing outside like that? Is she not aware of how indecent that is?" _Realizing he would not get any answers to these questions at this time, he made a mental note to ask his father to question her on this when next she woke. He put her down in the bed in the guest room and tucked her in. He stopped to look upon her sleeping features and noticed she seemed troubled even in slumber, brow creased with a general look of discontent upon her face.

He, as well as just about all of Rivendell, had heard her loud commotion the previous day. When he had asked about it, he was told about her situation and the fact that she would not be able to return back to her world. It was tragic really, for she was stuck in a new environment, no doubt strange and unfamiliar to her, with no way back to wherever she came from. He found himself wishing in that moment that he could somehow ease her fears and worries, and help her adjust to this place and Middle-Earth at large. But a gnawing feeling nagged at him, saying she was not one to run to others for comfort, and that she would make things more difficult for herself as time went on. Well, he could at least try.

One last look at the sleeping woman and Elladan then left the room, shutting the door behind him quietly so as not to disturb her. His conscious plagued him that her general well-being would suffer and he wanted to help her through this, be there for her as a friend should be. But all this was not relevant at present, there was nothing else he could do at the moment. Needless to say, thoughts of her played across his mind often as he went about his day.

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Elrond's concern for the human girl was growing by the day. She had not come out of her room for nearly five days, sleeping for most of that time, refusing to talk with him and ignoring everyone else. He had explicitly told the two maid-servants, Miriel and Faelwen, to continue doing what they could for her, bringing her food at mealtimes and helping to prepare baths for her each new day. Miriel had also told him that the girl barely ate what she was given, seeming only to pick at the food here and there, if even that. The elf lord was worried about her health, both her physical health and her emotional state. Rachel would slowly waste away if she continued doing this to herself. Miriel had also told him that if Rachel kept this up, the elf woman was debating whether to feed her by force, if necessary. She would rather not have to do so, but all things considered….

Elrond understood; the girl was being difficult. He knew some things about human behavior, after all having Aragorn living within these walls for a time, but he was no expert on the subject. He was even less knowledgeable about human women and their emotional moods that they were wont to have. He was not completely in the dark about this though, so he decided it best to leave the girl alone, apart from the maid-servants helping out with her care. Then perhaps Rachel would soon come out of her bleak shell that she had purposefully shrank into, after regaining some of her senses back. He would not wait for too long, however as human health was more fragile than that of elf-kind. The woman would not last very long without proper nourishment. Elrond would never allow anyone to fade away like this, not if he could help it.

The Lord of Rivendell suspected that Rachel withdrew in this fashion, to try to shield herself from her problems and hide away from the world, but she was not helping matters any. She would only make them worse, especially for herself. Further action would need to be taken if she refused to cooperate and interact with everybody else as a normal, healthy person should. The last time he had checked on her, she had been blankly staring at the wall by the bed as though she were a statue, hardly moving and not even acknowledging the elf lord when he came into the room. She seemed almost catatonic really.

_Two more days, _he decided. If Rachel would not come out willingly, then there was no other choice than to make her do so. Isolation for anybody, no matter their race, was completely unhealthy on many levels. He prayed to the Valar that there would be no need to coerce her against her will, that she would take the hint or get weary of being by herself and come out on her own terms without any outside force. Elrond was starting to come to his wit's end here. So he prayed that she would regain her sense of self and hope before too much time has passed.

Gandalf had already voiced his concerns as well, but neither one knew anything more what they could do that they have not already tried. As he had mentioned at the meeting those several days before, it was ultimately up to her how she coped with the situation.

As another day drew to a close, he put those thoughts away for now, deciding to see what the next dawn would bring. Tomorrow would be a new start, and another chance for Rachel to get her bearings back. He gave her depressive plight no more thought that evening.

XXXX

_Rachel tossed and turned, nightmares continuing to haunt her sleep. Then the dream scene changed, with Rachel once more in that vast, sparkling hall of light. She looked around and noticed the two Valar beings looking at her with grave expressions. Rachel stood there, unsure what to do or say in that moment. _

"_You cannot continue this charade of yours, Rachel Brown. It is not in your favor to do so, you must toughen up and accept what has happened, there is no other way." Varda admonished her firmly. _

_At this, Rachel grew angry. "You know nothing! Nothing of how I feel! I am only doing what is natural, what else am I supposed to do?! This isn't my world, I don't belong here, I just want to go home!" she broke down, the tears once more falling. _

_The two Vala looked at her with some pity, but also with sternness. "You don't have a choice, mortal. This IS your home now. You can either accept it and live your life, or carry on the way you are now and not achieve anything, it is your decision to make." Manwe told her, brow creasing with minor annoyance. _

_Rachel looked at them, a pleading look upon her face. "Please, can't you do anything? Send me back, I'll do anything! I need to go back! Send me home, please." she added in a much quieter tone of voice. _

_The Valar shook their heads. _

"_You know we can't do that Rachel, things are not that simple." Varda explained. "Either you accept your fate as it is now, or perish." She paused. "One word of advice child. Things may look bleak to you now, but that won't last forever. I guarantee you will upset others by your behavior and you will not accomplish anything worthy with your life if you continue to shut people out. Look at the bright side of things, some people would love to be in your place, it's an opportunity to start afresh, a new horizon to explore and discover. You are experiencing something no one else from your world has ever experienced, a new world and races of beings. As the people of your home of Earth would say, 'Carpe diem!' or 'Seize the day!' You have only this one life, child, make the most of it. Otherwise, you will regret it in the long-run. Remember this."_

"_This may be the last time we speak with each other, Rachel." Manwe said to her. "It is ultimately up to you how you interpret our advice. Do not forget of what we talked about here. Farewell, and peace be with you."_

_Rachel was about to respond but the scene of the vast chamber was already fading from her view, as well as the vision of the two Valar._

She was back in her room at the home of the elves, with only the white walls and furnishings to keep her company. Rachel sighed heavily and reluctantly, she got out of bed, swinging her legs over the side of the mattress. She had to admit, the two beings had a point. What more could she do? _Might as well attempt to do something other than wallow in self-pity. _But it wouldn't be that easy to just forget what she left behind. Earth would always be her home. Now she had to learn to get used to this one and adapt to the circumstances. As far as calling Middle-Earth her home, that boat hadn't sailed yet, and Rachel wasn't sure it ever would. But that would be for later, much later. Getting out of this room was the first step.

And she did just that. Changing into her familiar jeans and short-sleeved top which had been returned to her as she wasn't used to wearing dresses, let alone being able to put one on without help. The lacings were too intricate to figure out and tie behind her back on her own. Her clothes were now the only physical link to her old home and as far as Rachel was concerned, she didn't ever want to part with them.

Tentatively opening the door, she peeked out before stepping outside the room. She faltered a little, before mustering up her courage and continued on down through the hallways and corridors, not really sure where she was going. The few elves that were around in the hallways looked at her with some surprise, but otherwise they went back to what they were doing before.

Rachel's destination was the garden outside where she sat that one night in despair. She wanted to be outside and alone with her thoughts. She needed to think about her situation. At first she didn't think she was going in the right direction, but her worry was quickly abated once she saw the greens and flowering plants of the tranquil garden. She continued on over to where she had seen a bench before facing towards the river in the distance, but when she got there she stopped short. One of the elven twins was sitting there, his head bowed low in his hands. She didn't know which twin it was and was about to slip away as quietly as she could to go somewhere else, but he must have heard her approach as he looked up right at her_. _His expression brightened when he saw her standing there and gave her a warm smile, getting up to greet her. Rachel did not return the smile, instead she just stood there awkwardly pondering how to escape.

Just as he approached her, Rachel backed away with uncertainty. His smile faltered some and he looked at her, confused. The nearness of him was intoxicating to Rachel, she could smell his strong, masculine scent. She was very uncomfortable and made to get away, when he stopped her, gently grabbing hold of her wrist to keep her from running off.

He spoke in that calming, melodious voice of his, with a questioning look in his eyes. Rachel shook her head, trying to get away. He let her go and she ran off towards the Rivendell grounds. On the way back indoors, Rachel accidentally bumped into a male elf she didn't recognize. Muttering an apology, she continued her quest to get inside. The elf looked at her slightly puzzled at this, but shrugged it off.

Meanwhile, Elladan watched her go, a frown on his features. _What did I do? _he wondered. _Why is she so afraid of me? _He shook his head and sighed, before heading back over to the bench, his thinking spot. He wanted to get to know her better, become friends if possible, but it didn't seem likely to happen with the way she was acting. He wondered if she did that because of her new surroundings, or if there was something else going on with her that he didn't know about. He only wanted to attempt to speak with her, try to understand her better and to ease her troubles somewhat. However, she did not appear to welcome the comfort and companionship he was offering. Elladan hoped that would change sometime and soon. He knew the lives of mortals were short, and that he did not have all the time in the world to make friends with her. He had eternity, but she did not. All he could do was wait. Then maybe she would come around. He hoped so anyways.

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	11. Adjusting

**Disclaimer: Don't own it, and dont'cha know it.**

**A/N: Long time, no update! Sorry for the super long wait, but I did say updates would be slow. I hope this chapter makes up somewhat for the wait. Again, a big thanks go out to my loyal readers and reviewers, for each and every comment and words of encouragement make all the difference in the world. I appreciate each and every one of you guys' support, whether it be through a review, a favorite, a follow or even a PM. I try my best to make this an enjoyable read. The story is moving along, so come right on in and let me know what you think! Onward!  
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Chapter 11-Adjusting

Rachel walked down the hall, in one of the many hallways of the Last Homely House, lost in thought briefly. She had just come back from a talk with the elf lord, as he was inquiring on how she was feeling now. He had also asked her if she would like to dine with them in the banquet hall for the evening meal. She had agreed, after a couple moments of hesitation. Briefly, she recalled the short discussion.

_Rachel sat down in a chair in Lord Elrond's office, a little ways from the desk in which he sat. He clasped his hands and then looked at her, before mind-speaking to Rachel again. _

"_I trust you fare a little better now?"_

_Rachel nodded, then said aloud, "Yes, er…somewhat I mean." She paused for a second before continuing. "I really appreciate your hospitality and everything you've done since I've been here. I know I wasn't exactly being easy to deal with, but….. It's just a big change for me, I need some time to adjust."_

_The elf took a moment to process what she said, then nodded. "I completely understand that, yes. But to carry on as you did these past several days is not doing you any favors, Rachel. Take as much time as you need, but don't neglect your health. You are welcome to stay here for as long as you wish. In time, memories of your former life will not be quite as painful anymore. It is time to start moving on."_

_Rachel didn't say anything to that, just simply nodded her head briefly. _

"_You are also welcome to join everyone in the dining hall for the meal this evening." _

_Rachel looked down at her hands. _

"_It is for your own good Rachel, you should not hide yourself away from the world. Besides, you need to recover your strength. Miriel tells me you have not been eating much and that concerns me."_

"_I've eaten, sometimes…" Rachel started._

_Elrond raised an eyebrow at this. _

"_Okay, maybe not that much." she muttered. "But I'm not really all that good with large crowds of people. It'll be awkward." _

"_Awkward or not, I invite you to join us." He looked straight at her this time. "Will you?"_

_Rachel sighed, then replied, "Yes, I guess. I will go and eat with everyone. When is it, anyway?"_

"_There will be a dinner bell that goes off when it is time, just listen for it then."_

"_Alright."_

"_Then it is settled. You may leave now." He started organizing some papers on his desk, paying no further attention to her. _

_Rachel got up and walked out the door, leaving the elf by himself. _

Now Rachel walked along the halls, stopping to admire the scenery since she hadn't really done so before. Everything here seemed so elegant and earthy. The surroundings had an ancient beauty to them that Rachel was unused to seeing. Everywhere she looked, there was a light golden glow that seemed to penetrate throughout. Rachel tried for a little while to determine where it originated, but gave up after a time. _Maybe it's some kind of magic, _she thought. She figured here, anything was possible. She could see outside, as the walls weren't totally enclosed like they would be on Earth, letting sunlight pour in and giving it a welcoming, warming feel. Greenery from outside was within view and the air smelled sweet and refreshing. She inhaled a breath, savoring it. For a moment, she felt more at peace inside as though there were some kind of enchantment on the place making it so everyone who dwelled here would feel more blissful and less troubled. She could hear the soft sounds of a waterfall nearby, its soothing rhythm creating an atmosphere of tranquility and inner harmony. She supposed that she had shut out this peace unconsciously when she was trapped in her depressive funk from before. As well, being confined to one room for several days on her own choice would also do that to a person.

She stopped to admire one of the many paintings on the walls, examining the colors and fine details of it. Rachel then spotted movement out of the corner of her eye and turned to see who it was. An elven woman she didn't know was leisurely strolling down the hall, towards where Rachel was standing. For a short moment in time, Rachel noticed the utterly ethereal beauty of this woman. Granted, all the elves both male and female, were beautiful each in their own way but this one seemed to outshine a lot of the elven woman she'd already seen. The elf had long dark hair that flowed past her shoulders and Rachel thought she could detect a resemblance to the twins and the elf lord, Elrond. In other words, she made Rachel look like dirt in comparison.

The elf lady looked in Rachel's direction and noticed her staring. She smiled kindly at Rachel and headed over towards her. Rachel also noticed that she seemed to make no sound as she walked, gliding along as though on a cloud. The elf quickly closed the distance between them and spoke in that beautiful language Rachel was getting accustomed to hearing.

"Uh, hi." Rachel said, not knowing what else she should say.

The elven woman pointed to herself and said "Arwen." Then she looked at Rachel and waited.

Rachel copied the action, pointing to herself and stated, "Rachel."

Arwen smiled. Then her eyes looked sad for a moment. Rachel could have sworn she saw pity in them. She made movements with her hands, gesturing. Rachel thought maybe she was trying to convey the fact that Rachel was far from home and everything she knew.

"Yes", she said quietly, nodding her head.

The elf smiled a sad smile, looking sympathetic about her situation.

Rachel turned back around to gaze at the painting from before, not wanting to think anymore about her situation. The elf woman was friendly, but not being able to understand one another made things a bit uncomfortable.

Arwen took this as her cue to leave, doing just that while casting one last glance behind her at the human woman. She walked away, leaving Rachel once again by herself.

Rachel then decided to go outside and take a look around. Walking outdoors, she sat down on one of the benches, observing the sights and smells around her. She thought Rivendell was gorgeous, really exquisite, more so than any architecture she had ever seen back at home. And its residents were also something else. Elves were wandering about, mingling here and there, talking amongst themselves and going about their daily activities. Rachel felt insignificant sitting there all by herself, amongst people who were very different to what she knew and grew up with. The elves seemed to glow from within, as evidence of their exceptional beauty and purity of being, Rachel wasn't entirely sure. _They're so different from us humans. _she thought. Their beauty was almost to the point of unnatural. They possessed unearthly grace and etiquette, something she couldn't say about most of humanity. She felt like she had stepped through a door of enchantment, into a world of magic and wonder in which she pretty much had done exactly that. Torn between both fascination of the elves and their otherworldliness, as well as loneliness for her home and everything she no longer could do or have, she idled a little while longer before getting up to go elsewhere.

Back inside, the route she took led her to a door which was partially ajar. Cautiously, she looked in and saw that it appeared to be a library of sorts. As she stepped in, her jaw dropped at the sheer size of the room. It was huge! Bigger than huge! Everywhere she looked, rows upon rows upon rows of bookcases lined with multiple shelves holding books and tomes of every size greeted her view. _There must be thousands of books in here! _she guessed. _I guess elves enjoy reading a lot. _The room was easily three or four times the size, if not more, than her whole apartment back at home.

Heading on over to the nearest bookcase, she randomly picked a book off the shelf. It was heavy and she almost dropped it on the floor, but managed to keep a hold on the book before it could go tumbling from her hands. The cover was a dark mahogany brown color, with ornate gold lettering on the front written in what she guessed to be some kind of elvish script. Carefully, she opened the book to a random page. All the writing in there was indecipherable to her eyes, looking like no language she'd ever seen before. She flipped through several more pages, all of it looking the same and completely unreadable to her. She put the book back where it was. Walking over to another bookcase she took two more books off the shelf, these ones smaller than the first and briefly looked through these as well. Still more strange lettering filled the pages with its fancy, elaborate penmanship. Rachel put these back and sighed. She figured she shouldn't be too surprised. If no one here spoke English at all and spoke their own language, what did she expect?

Rachel weaved through the bookcases, looking for somewhere to sit. She finally spied some tables built into moderately sized alcoves on the far wall that overlooked part of Rivendell. She plopped down on one of the wooden chairs there, resting her head on her arms, looking out the window but not really seeing what was there. Deciding to rest her eyes for a moment, she closed them and soon started to drift off.

XXXX

She was awoken by a gentle touch on her shoulder. Groggily, Rachel sat up and looked to see who had woken her from her nap. Kind blue eyes looked at her from a wrinkled, old face.

"Uh, sorry, didn't mean to fall asleep here." Rachel said, then quickly realized whoever it was couldn't understand a word of what she just said.

Rachel now saw that the person was an old man, but a very strange one at that as he only stood up to about four feet in height, if even that. She did her best not to look surprised, but apparently this short man was very observant and promptly chuckled at her confusion.

Rachel was even more surprised at this reaction, she would have thought he'd have thought her rude. The man gestured to himself, saying what sounded like "Bilbo".

Rachel was becoming used to this procedure and introduced herself as well. Apparently, word spread that there was a guest staying here who didn't speak any known language they were familiar with.

Bilbo then started pointing at various objects in the room and repeating a word after each one. He did this more than once for each object so that she would catch on. Rachel was a little bewildered at first, then realized he was trying to teach her some of their language. He had to repeat some words a few times as she was having some trouble because of her hearing problem. When Bilbo gave her a questioning look about this, she simply pointed to her bad ear and stated, "Deaf". Then she pointed to her other ear and replied, "Not deaf." Bilbo caught on, understanding what she meant. Then the "lesson" continued. He spoke a bit louder so that she could hear him better. This went on for a little while, with Bilbo repeating words in his language while pointing to various things in the library and Rachel doing the same in English. She could tell that he was interested in learning her language, soaking up the words like a sponge.

After about another hour or so Rachel guessed, Bilbo bid her goodbye with both of them having exchanged a tiny bit of knowledge of their languages to one another. Rachel only remembered a few words though. Having something to write them down with would have been helpful. The thought had occurred to her during this time that she might as well learn what was spoken here. It wasn't like she'd be able to go back home anyway she figured sadly, so knowing how to communicate would be essential to getting around. It was the second step to getting adjusted to her new life and Bilbo seemed eager to help teach her.

She looked out the large glass window spanning the wall and noticed it appeared to be mid to late afternoon now, the sun still shining bright, casting its orange and gold rays across the grounds of the elven settlement.

She then left the library as she decided she'd had enough of it for today. Pretty soon, the bell announcing dinner sounded. Rachel was a little nervous about being in a room surrounded by all elves, but she bit her lip and continued onward towards the dining hall.

XXXX

As she neared the banquet room, Rachel started to become tense and almost reconsidered just going back to her room. _To do, what? Sulk? _She wondered. Besides, she figured it would be rude of her to turn down the elf lord's invitation. Rachel also didn't relish the thought of sitting by herself in her room anymore with nothing to do but stare blankly at the walls and furniture there. She needed to interact more as Lord Elrond said, and this was one step towards that goal. Didn't mean she had to like it though.

With that last thought to occupy her mind, she finally reached her destination and set foot in the large, spacious room. As expected, all the elves there looked up at her approach, some no doubt surprised that she was there, while others looked indifferent about it. Others smiled at her in greeting, but Rachel just avoided their stares, intent to sit down somewhere as quickly as possible to get away from being the center of attention. She looked anxiously for a place to sit, preferably somewhere where the area was more vacant from everyone else. Apparently she was late, as she seemed to be the last one to come in. And Rachel hated that. She had hoped to make a silent and unnoticeable entrance, but apparently luck was not on her side today with that.

As her eyes scanned the room she spotted Miriel, Faelwen and some other female elves at a smaller table than the rest, along with a couple male elves she didn't know. Miriel waved her over, inviting her to sit with them. Rachel complied and sat down, taking an empty seat next to Miriel. Miriel smiled at her briefly, then resumed her conversation with the others. Rachel caught her name amid the strange words being spoken, so the subject matter was obvious. The two male elves nodded in Rachel's direction, acknowledging her presence. Faelwen also smiled at her, but her smile seemed a little strained or maybe Rachel's eyes were playing tricks on her. She decided she didn't care in the slightest at this, so turned her attention to the food before her. Strange dishes and platters of food were set out, some still steaming from the heat that emanated from them. Rachel noted what looked like bread, maybe some kind of sourdough but she couldn't be sure, as well as a type of meat she didn't recognize and various vegetables and fruits and an array of other smaller assortments. She looked at the meat, wondering what animal it came from and what part of the animal it was from. _Mystery meat, _she decided. She almost rolled her eyes at her silent thought, but refrained from doing so. So she helped herself to something more "safe", safe in that she knew what it was more or less, that she would be putting into her mouth, going for some of the vegetables and fruits along with some bread.

As soon as she took her first bite, Rachel realized just how ravenously hungry she was and began to stuff the food in her mouth quicker, but then stopped when she noticed some of the raised eyebrows at the table. One of the male elves had an amused look on his finely chiseled features. She blushed hotly and muttered several apologies under her breath while trying to keep the urge from stuffing her face again so carelessly. She could just imagine how she looked to them and so shrunk back in her chair some, trying to appear smaller. Taking more careful bites now, the conversation from before resumed after a short moment or two and one or two throat clearings. In Rachel's defense, she could only think that how else would she have reacted to finally eating a decent meal again now that she was actually willing to eat more than what she had been as of late. Her weight had considerably gone down, not that she was overweight to begin with, but now she was extremely thin. She needed more fat on her body, but that was entirely her fault Rachel knew.

As mealtime progressed, Rachel would occasionally sneak peeks around the grand room, noting and marveling again at the elves' magnificent beauty and ethereal nature. It was too surreal, all of this, her, a nobody sitting amongst all these beautiful people while Rachel felt so inferior to them. She knew this low self-esteem of hers wasn't helpful or true in its facts, but she couldn't help it regardless. She felt out of place here, she didn't belong. She didn't know if she would _ever _belong. But there was no sense in trying to hide, it wouldn't do her any good she knew. So all she could do was try her best to appear nonchalant and just like everyone else, normal, whatever that word meant anymore. So try she did.

As she was looking around the room, sometimes she would spot one of the twins glancing in her direction, although she didn't know which one. He did this more than once or twice though, but Rachel didn't see all of the looks he sent her way. Rachel thought she saw confusion and a little sadness there, along with a faint spark of hope she guessed. _Hope? Hope for what?_ She wondered. As soon as their eyes met, she would immediately look back down, ashamed to have been caught looking at him. Instead, she focused on her food concentrating on the act of eating so intently, it seemed almost like a meditation of sorts. Anything to keep her gaze from straying around the room, and to see him looking at her. She knew why she was avoiding eye contact, but she didn't want to bring that old topic to mind now. Since she had never had much of a relationship with anyone, be it friendship or romantic, especially not the latter, she was sorely deprived of social skills. Well, she _is _an introvert, and a proud one at that too, so naturally she wouldn't be much of a people person. It is her way.

The meal continued on, the ambience light and the conversational tone relaxed. It soon became background noise to her as she turned her thoughts inward. She was glad to be eating normally again, she admitted this to herself. If the elf was looking at her again, she didn't notice as Rachel stopped paying attention to others in the room, concentrating on her food instead. Soon, the elves began to drift out of the room, more and more of them as the evening meal ended, some staying behind to help clean up. By then, Rachel had had her fill of what she wanted, so she got up to leave and go someplace else.

Walking down the corridors that were just beginning to become familiar to Rachel, she wondered whether she would ever truly fit in here. What was she going to do with the rest of her life? Stay here? Or go elsewhere? She had just about given up any hopes of returning back home to Earth, as that path seemed like it had been permanently taken from her, an unattainable concept now. She had, more or less come to terms with this, but it still hurt deep down. Maybe someday that wound would heal and she would be happier and find something useful and satisfying to do with her new life. Lord Elrond did say she was welcome here for as long as she wanted to stay. Back home, she had envisioned herself as some kind of philosopher or scholar of things obscure and unexplained. Maybe she could still be such here, as philosophy of any kind seemed to be a universal thing no matter where one happened to be. As long as she continued to adjust to this new world, she may find her calling in life, her destiny. But that was a long ways off. The first step was to adjust, which was paramount. Adjust. That was the key. Rachel just wished it weren't so hard. But as she well knew, life wasn't always fair and you had to take whatever life threw at you, taking it with complaints or taking it with acceptance and dignity. It was up to her how she chose to act, and ultimately how she would finally blend in with the societies here, becoming accustomed to the medieval-like life. And of course, her place in the world at large, the greater story if you will.

But she needed time. It seemed as though Fate or whatever, would allow her that one blessing at least. And she was immensely grateful for that.

XXXX


End file.
